QED Night
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A Queer Coincidence

Unreviewed import — a classic from the public domain; its solution has not been machine-checked yet.

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Seven men, whose names were Adams, Baker, Carter, Dobson, Edwards, Francis, and Gudgeon, were recently engaged in play. The name of the particular game is of no consequence. They had agreed that whenever a player won a game he should double the money of each of the other players--that is, he was to give the players just as much money as they had already in their pockets. They played seven games, and, strange to say, each won a game in turn, in the order in which their names are given. But a more curious coincidence is this--that when they had finished play each of the seven men had exactly the same amount--two shillings and eightpence--in his pocket. The puzzle is to find out how much money each man had with him before he sat down to play.

Solution

Commit an attempt to unseal the proof. Write your answer — right or wrong, thinking it through is the point.

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