From: Michael Motyka <mjmotyka@mistic.net>
Date: Sat, 3 Oct 1998 11:05:05 +0800
To: cypherpunks@cyberpass.net
Subject: Re: A Number Theory Problem
Message-ID: <361657FE.43E3@mistic.net>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain



> There is a desert which is 1000 miles across. There is a camel who can carry
> 1000 bananas maximum. The camel eats 1 banana per mile travelled. The camel
> has a total of 3000 bananas to begin with. What is the maximum number of
> bananas that the camel can get across to the other side uneaten?

My camels don't understand/can't eat fractional bananas.

My first camel put 
2000 bananas at 200 miles then 
1001 bananas at 533 miles then
left 1 banana at mile 533 and 
sprinted for home,
arriving with 533 bananas

My second camel put 
2000 bananas at 200 miles then 
1001 bananas at 533 miles then
ate 1 banana at mile 533 and 
found the energy to move the  
1000 bananas to mile 534 and
sprinted for home,
arriving with 534 bananas

My third camel put 
2000 bananas at 200 miles then 
1001 bananas at 533 miles then
ate 1 banana at mile 533 and 
found the energy to move the
1000 bananas to mile 534 and
sprinted for home,
arriving with 535 bananas 
figuring he'd pay 
for his last mile with credit.

My fourth camel,
the biggest strongest camel,
was already waiting 
at the destination and
charged each of the other camels a
50% banana tax, 
rounded up to the nearest banana,
plus a 10 banana collection fee
and left with 832 bananas and 
didn't have to do
anything but paperwork while
the other camels were now short of
bananas and
had to find a new way to get more 
bananas.

Mike