Reality of Math
by Lynda Webster
lkwebster@mindspring.com

There were three medieval kingdoms on the shores of a lake.  There was an island in the middle of the lake, which the kingdoms had been fighting over for years.  Finally, the three  kings decided that they would send their knights out to do battle, and the winner would take the island.

The night before the battle, the knights and their squires pitched camp and readied themselves for the fight.  The first kingdom had 12 knights, and each knight had five squires, all of whom were busily polishing armor, brushing horses, and cooking food.   The second kingdom had 20 knights, and each knight had 10 squires.  Everyone at that camp was also busy preparing for battle.  At the camp of the third kingdom, there was only one knight, with his squire.  This squire took a large pot and hung it from a looped rope in a tall tree. He busied himself preparing the meal, while the knight polished his own armor.

When the hour of the battle came, the three kingdoms sent their squires out to fight (this was too trivial a matter for the knights to join in).  The battle raged, and when the dust cleared, the only person left was the lone squire from the third kingdom, having defeated the squires from the other two kingdoms, thus proving that the squire of the high pot and noose is equal to the sum of the squires of the other two sides.