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Thu 7 Jun, 2012 07:39 pm
I was given a logic/math riddle in my math education class. The the problem is that there doesn't seem to be any kind of strategy I can use to solve it, so it's mere guessing at this point (which I don't have to tell you is EXTREMELY frustrating).
Here is a summarized version of the riddle:
Transport 3000 lbs of peanuts on the back of an elephant 1000 miles to market. The elephant will only carry 1000 lbs at a time and will eat 1 lb of peanuts per mile traveled. In other words, you can't just carry the peanuts in three trips of 1000 lbs, you wouldn't have any peanuts by the time you got there. This would be completely doable except that you have to deliver at LEAST 510 lbs of peanuts to the market. The extra 10 lbs is a problem.
Any thoughts or direction? I don't exactly want someone to do my assignment for me, but I've hit a wall. HELP!!!
@squirrlygirl,
I will give you a hint.
You can have the elephant go 200 miles and then drop 600 pounds of peanuts on the ground. The remaining 200 pounds of peanuts would be used to get back to the starting point.
Do this three times and instead of 3000 lbs of peanuts 1000 miles way, you would have 1800 lbs of peanuts 800 miles away.
That is how I would start solving the problem. You will have to play with the distance you go before you drop the peanuts.
@maxdancona,
Actually, you'd have 2000 lbs. of peanuts 800 miles away.
(The elephant makes two round trips, and one one-way trip.)
@DrewDad,
And that's the key - how far you can go and use up 1000 peanuts. For the first thousand, the elephant makes five one way trips, for the next thousand, the elephant makes three one way trips and finally the elephants sprints home.
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