经典数学谜题"Ann多大了？"的百年传奇

一道名为"Ann多大了？"的数学谜题在1903年4月21日首次发表于《纽约晚报》，作者为罗伯特·D·汤恩，署名"Perkin Warbeck"1。这道谜题以其精妙的逻辑设计在当时的美国掀起风潮，其原文为："Mary is 24 years old. She is twice as old as Ann was when Mary was as old as Ann is now. How old is Ann?"1

这一数学谜题迅速引发广泛关注，各类媒体刊登了人们的多种解答，其中包括Ann为12岁、16岁、19岁和63岁等不同答案1。谜题的流行还衍生出了歌曲、剧目和诗歌等多种创意作品1。到1903年底，这股热潮开始消退，一则广告甚至幽默地宣称"How Old Is Ann?"已经失踪十天1。

这道谜题的影响力持久深远。直至1924年11月17日，《纽约时报》刊登评论将其与当时流行的填字游戏热潮进行对比1。谜题创作者罗伯特·D·汤恩于1952年3月3日去世，其讣告被刊登在《时代杂志》上1。

A mathematical riddle published in the New York Evening Post on April 21, 1903, became a nationwide sensation in the early 20th century 1. Created by Robert D. Towne under the pen name "Perkin Warbeck," the puzzle posed a deceptively simple question: "Mary is 24 years old. She is twice as old as Ann was when Mary was as old as Ann is now. How old is Ann?" 1

The puzzle sparked widespread engagement across the country, generating numerous responses and creative derivatives including songs, theatrical pieces, and poetry 1. However, the phenomenon proved short-lived. By December 21, 1903, the craze had largely subsided, with advertisements joking that "How Old Is Ann?" had gone missing for ten days 1. The New York Times later drew a comparison between this puzzle and the crossword puzzle craze when revisiting the phenomenon on November 17, 1924 1. Multiple proposed solutions emerged, ranging from answers of 12, 16, 19, and 63 years old 1. Robert D. Towne, the puzzle's creator, lived until March 3, 1952, when his obituary was published in Time magazine 1.