Matryoshkian Ideas

An idea will come from an idea
which formed from an idea
within an idea.

"Eureka!" Archimedes supposedly
said, but he probably just thought,
"Hmm... Isn't that funny?..."

We cannot know for sure. But
this much we can say: "There is light,
and it should come my way."

And, "The answer is 13 834."

Real Life Mathematical Problems and Solutions

Emma wishes to buy a new sexy pair of pants that costs 80 € and six new books that equally cost 80 € in total. She counts all her money and finds out that she’s 81,27 € rich. How can Emma fulfil her wishes? Choose only one of the following options:

a) Emma buys a new sexy pair of pants and increases her chances of getting laid.

b) Emma opts for buying the books, reads them and increases the chances of being loved.

c) Emma browses through an expensive clothing store and steals a pair of pants, then goes to the bookshop and buys those six books, reads them, puts the pants on, and increases the chances of being loved and getting laid. 

d) Emma equates the morals of option c) and comes to the conclusion that stealing from a clothing store linked to the slave-like exploitation of Latin American workers is unlikely to perturb her views on global social issues as much as stealing from a bookshop would, and thus proceeds and executes option c).

e) Emma is ecstatic at how much lower clothes prices are since the economy went global and thinks that books can always be read for free in a library where she went twice in her lifetime to try and seduce George but he was never there, and so she embraces option a). 

f) Emma is the ideal catholic, buys a sandwich for 3,50 € and gives the rest to charity, in the total of, err, well, 81,27 minus 3,50. 

g) Emma uses her credit card to buy the items she wishes for but cannot afford.

i) Emma cannot make her mind up and sits on a park bench lost in thought.

j) Emma, sitting on a park bench, wonders if this listing of options will ever end.