Sources page biographical material

5.K.2. OTHER LOGIC PUZZLES BASED ON DERANGEMENTS
These typically involve a butcher, a baker and a brewer whose surnames are Butcher, Baker and Brewer, but no one has the profession of his name. I generally only state the beginning of the problem.

New section -- there must be older examples. Gardner, in an article: My ten favorite brainteasers in Games (collected in Games Big Book of Games, 1984, pp. 130-131) says this is one of his favorite problems. ??locate

I now see these lead to Latin rectangles, cf Section 5.I.
R. Turner, proposer: The sons of the dons; Eureka 2 (May 1939) 9-10. K. Tweedie, solver: On the problem of the sons of the dons. Eureka 4 (May 1940) 21-23. Six dons, in analysis, geometry, algebra, dynamics, physics and astronomy, each have a son who studies one of these subjects, but none studies the subject of his father. Several further restrictions, e.g., there are no two students who each study the subject of the other's father.

M. Adams. Puzzle Book. 1939. Prob. B.91: Easter bonnet, pp. 80 & 107. Women named Green, Black, Brown and White with 4 colours of hats and 4 colours of dresses, but name, hat and dress are always distinct.

J. B. Parker. Round the table. Eureka 5 (Jan 1941) 20-21 & 6 (May 1941) 11. Seven men, whose names are colours, with ties, socks and cars, being coloured with three of the names of other men and all colours used for each item, sitting at a table with eight places.

Anonymous. The umbrella problem. Eureka 9 (Apr 1947) 22 & 10 (Mar 1948) 25. Six men 'of negligible honesty' each go away with another's umbrella.

Jonathan Always. Puzzles to Puzzle You. Tandem, London, 1965. No. 30: Something about ties, pp. 16 & 74-75. Black, Green and Brown are wearing ties, but none has the colour of his name, remarked the green tie wearer to Mr. Black.

David Singmaster. The deranged secretary. If a secretary puts n letters all in wrong envelopes, how many envelopes must one open before one knows what is each of the unopened envelopes?

Problem proposal and solution 71.B. MG 71 (No. 455) (Mar 1987) 65 & 71 (No. 457) (Oct 1987) 238-239.

Open question. The Weekend Telegraph (11 Jun 1988) XV & (18 Jun 1988) XV.