Yet another brain teaser for you all...

[Liquid Shadow]

A camel is sitting down by a pile of bananas. 3,000 bananas to be exact. He's gotta get as many across the desert that he can, and the desert is 1,000 miles wide. The camel can only carry 1,000 bananas at a time, and he must also eat one for every mile that he walks, in either direction. If he has no bananas with him, he does no walking.

So what is the max number of bananas he can get to the other side, and how does he do it?




Ready...set...GO!

[WoofWoofX]

OK here goes,
he can do this by going 250 miles, leaving a thousand bananas, going back and getting more. Then go to the 250 miles distance go back and forth until you have all the bananas at the 250 miles. Then with the same process takes all the bananas to the 500 mile distance... then 750 then to the 1000. Using this way, you end up having 250 bananas at the end.

up to 250 miles
1- carries 1000 -250 - 250 =500
2- ...................................=500
3-....................................=500 (+500+500=1500)
up to 500 miles
1- carries 1000 -250 - 250 =500
2- carries the rest 500-250=250 (+500=750)
up to 750 miles
1- carries 750 -250 =500

it can be done also by transporting 1000s pack for 1 mile only loosing 2 bannanas a mile(back and forth)... but I don't have the time to write a program to calculate it :lol: :lol: :lol: ... but definetly he can transport more then 250 to the end.

[Nick]

or he can ask his owner to phone for a helicopter :wink: :P 8) :)

[Phred]

You need to breack the problem into three stages. where he carries 3000, bananas, 2000 bananas and 1000 bananas.

Remember that it takes him 5 trips to bring all 3000 bananas anywhere. So while he has 3000 bananas, each KM costs 5 bananas.

so if he bring the first bunch (1000) 200 KM, he can drop 600, go back for the next bunch, drop 600 and go back. Now he has 1200. He can go back and get the last bunch and bring 800 of them. 2000 at 200KM.

Now, since he needs to carry 2000 and get rid of 1000, and each km takes 3 bananas, he can go 1000/3 = 333.3333 km.

When he gets there he has 1000 bananas letf and he can simply walk the rest of the way.

ending up with 533.3333 bananas. Correct?

[Nick]

perhaps he can go on a diet and therefore save all the bananas 8)

[etrangepulpe]

Check the band out !!! (http://www.progarchives.com/Progressive_rock_discography_BAND.asp?band_id=50)

and buy "Moonmadness" as soon as possible :) Camel is really a great prog rock band.

[Phred]

any one going to tell me if I got it right or not? Suspense is killing me...

[WoofWoofX]

BTW... I always wanted to ask....

:shock: IS THAT A CAMEL....OR A MONKEY :?: :?: :!: :!:

thank you

[Liquid Shadow]

any one going to tell me if I got it right or not? Suspense is killing me...

You = correct.