Solution

(related to Problem: The Football Players)

The smallest possible number of men is seven. They could be accounted for in three different ways:

  1. Two with both arms sound, one with a broken right arm, and four with both arms broken.
  2. One with both arms sound, one with a broken left arm, two with a broken right arm, and three with both arms broken.
  3. Two with a left arm broken, three with a right arm broken, and two with both arms broken.

But if every man was injured, the last case is the only one that would apply.


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References

Project Gutenberg

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

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