Solution

(related to Problem: The Leap-Year Ladies)

The correct and only answer is that $11,616$ ladies made proposals for marriage. Here are all the details, which the reader can check for himself with the original statements. Of $10,164$ spinsters, $8,085$ married bachelors, $627$ married widowers, $1,221$ were declined by bachelors, and $231$ declined by widowers. Of the $1,452$ widows, $1,155$ married bachelors, and $297$ married widowers. No widows were declined. The problem is not difficult, by algebra, when once we have succeeded in correctly stating it.


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References

Project Gutenberg

  1. Dudeney, H. E.: "Amusements in Mathematics", The Authors' Club, 1917

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