the expressions for 2⁄3 and 1⁄2 of a hekat, and in the above table I have corrected lines 3 and 6 of section a so that they are the same as lines 3 and 4 of section d.
In the first line of section c, at the end, the papyrus says 1⁄60 of a hekat when it should be 1⁄30. and if the amount in the second line is intended to be a half of the amount in the first line, as is probable, then the middle number should be 1⁄6, and the last number 1⁄60. Instead of 1⁄6 and 1⁄30, as in the papyrus. In the sixth line of the same section the fraction 1⁄4 is omitted in the middle number, and a little further on. in the second line of section d, the 3 is omitted from the middle number. I have corrected all of these mistakes in the table above.
Problems 82-84 have to do with the feed of birds and oxen and are interesting chiefly as showing with how much care the Egyptian farmer estimated the amount of feed necessary for each bird or animal. There are many mistakes in these problems, and the last one, Problem 84, is unintelligible; at least no one has yet explained it.
Problem 82
Estimate in wedyet-flour, made into bread, the daily portion of feed for geese.
| 10 fatted geese eat daily | 21⁄2 hekat, |
| Taking for 10 days | 1⁄4 of 100 hekat;' |
| Taking for 40 days | 100 hekat. |
The amount of spelt that has to be ground to produce it is
11⁄2times 100 hekat 16 1⁄21⁄81⁄32 hekat 31⁄3 ro.
The amount of wheat is
1⁄31⁄4 of 100 hekat 8 1⁄41⁄161⁄32 hekat 31⁄3 ro.
That which has to be taken away is 1⁄10, of this, namely,
6 1⁄21⁄81⁄32 hekat 12⁄3ro.
The remainder, which is the amount of grain required, is
1⁄21⁄4 of 100 hekat 18 1⁄41⁄161⁄64 hekat 12⁄3 ro.
Expressed in double he/eat this is
1⁄4 of 100 hekat 21 1⁄21⁄81⁄32' hekat 31⁄3 ro.
Problem 82B
Estimate the amount of feed for other geese.
| If to fatten 10 geese it takes daily | 11⁄4 | hekat, |
| It will take for 10 days | 121⁄2 | " |
| And for 40 days | 1⁄2 | of 100 hekat |
The amount of grain to be ground in double hekat is
23 1⁄41⁄161⁄64 hekat 12⁄3, ro.
