Who cares about mathematics, anyway? Recently, a young friend doing his major in the subject decided to leave it mid-stream. He found it too boring. Communication studies are his new area of inquiry. One is not sure what was more boring ? mathematics or teaching? He did not clarify. Another one was abducted by spotlight hunters. Sigh! Please send your comments to debkumarm@dobanda.com

PUZZLE 1: The story of Jason Dunn’s Ride, in April of 1775, has been well told in the history books and the poetry of Longfellow; less known is that Mr Dunn took a second ride through the countryside on July 5, 1776, to announce the Declaration of Independence adopted in Philadelphia on July 4. On his route to Lexington, the crier on horseback charged through five villages, one of them Summerset, and shouted the news to a different man in each locale, one of them the village blacksmith. From the facts that follow about the events surrounding Jason Dunn’s Second Ride, you should be able to find the order in which he rode through the villages and the full name and occupation of the man in each village to whom he broke the news of Liberty.

On his second ride, Jason Dunn announced the Declaration of Independence to Jonathan earlier than to Mr Howe, who heard the news before the man in the village of Maybury.

Patrick, who isn’t Gates, and the farmer were both captains in the militia.

Mr Bradford and the miller let out loud “huzzah’s” when they got the announcement from Dunn.

Jason Dunn broke the news to the schoolmaster in one village and then to Mr Adams in the next village.

The farmer heard about the Declaration earlier than Mr Gates but later than Benjamin.

Adams and the farmer had already fought against the Redcoats at Concord in 1775.

Dunn told the man in Westham about the events in Philadelphia immediately after telling the miller in the previous village about them.

Thomas, who didn’t reside in Maybury, and Mr Howe joyfully spread the revolutionary news to their villages. The wigmaker learned of the Declaration later than the Lanyard citizen, who talked to Jason Dunn at some point after George did. Mr Morgan and the man from Middlesex gave the horseman money to help support liberty’s cause. The village in which Jason Dunn announced Independence to the wigmaker wasn't Maybury.

Solutions on February 6

CORRECT ENTRIES

January 9

Souymodip Chakraborty, Barrackpore; Sreechandra Banerjee, Calcutta-19; Soumava Chakrabarty; Shreya Sen, Calcutta-34; Dipanjan Bhattacharya, Calcutta-36; Harjesh Bawa, Calcutta-1; Ravi Raja, Calcutta -20

Please send your entries to knowhow@abpmail.com within 10 days.

PUZZLE CRACKED

Solution (January 9): Clementine’s Cleaner-Uppers work in the five offices of the Summerset Building as follows:

First floor ? Jenny Pauling in the Crosswinds Insurance Agency

Second floor ? Marty Appleby in the Landmark Title Co.

Third floor ? Carol Wellman in the Pro Computer Consultants

Fourth floor ? Ben Davis in Mintz & Meter CPAs

Fifth floor ? Ted Sanchez in ICU Optometry Hint: If we assume that Carol is working on the 4th floor, then Davis is the Cleaner ? Upper of the Crosswords Insurance Agency office on the 2nd floor. Then it is also clear that Ben has to be on the 5th floor and Ted’s last name in that case is Appleby.