IMPOSSIPUZZLES

1 Ann was collating the pages of the report. She had a stack of each page on the table, just the right number, and was building up a separate stack of complete sets. “So far I’ve taken as many minutes as there are stacks here,” she said.

“It’s odd all the stacks have the same number of sheets now,” said Bob.

She smiled. “Then it should take me exactly one and a half hours to finish if I go on at the same speed.”

How many pages in each complete set?

2 Ron picked up his money. “Sorry, Pam,” he said. “If I lent you three pounds you’d have twice as much as me.”

“What’s wrong with that? You’ll get it back tomorrow,” his sister insisted. “And anyway you’ve got eight pence more than I have now.”

How much did Ron have?

3 Ruth had emptied her purse. “Oh, no!” she exclaimed. “I had nothing before I cashed your cheque, and I spent £4.29 of that. But now I’ve got exactly double what I should have.”

“Aren’t you lucky?” Bob chuckled. “The teller must have given you pounds for pence and pence for pounds on the cheque.”

That’s what did happen. What was the amount of the cheque?