 Most members of the class are determinate, but some are not (the monkey and the coconuts is one of the latter).Familiar algebraic methods are unavailing for solving such equations.The origin of the class of such problems has been attributed to the Indian mathematician Mahāvīra in chapter VI, §131, 132 of his "Ganita-sara-sangraha" (“Compendium of the Essence of Mathematics”), circa 850CE, which dealt with serial division of fruit and flowers with specified remainders.