A brain teaser for you smart people...

[irwin]

Ok this is my math problem I have to solve by monday...

Charlie the camel has to take 3,000 bananas to the market which is 1,000 miles away. He has to eat one banana either before or after every mile he walks. He can only hold 1000 bananas at one time.

^--- I'm supposed to find out the maximum amount of bananas the camel can get to the market. The answer that most of my classmates have come up with is 500 bananas, but my teacher says the highest number that anyone has gotten is 533. PLEASE HELP ME MAKE MY TEACHER THINK IM SmART!!! :)

[Edited by passwird on 02-10-2001 at 06:31 PM]

[johnnymk]

Unless there is a trick to this question, it's 2000. He started with 3000 and ate one per mile. Right? Where would anyone get 500? There must be more information to this question.

[Jenny]

the camel can only eat a banana before OR after a mile, meaning, not between each mile? For example,

(B=banana)

B,1M,2M,B,3M,4M,B,5M,6M,B,7M,8M,B,9M, etc

or

1M,B,2M,3M,B,4M,5M,B,6M,7M,B,8M,9M,B, etc

Make sense?

[hapoo]

even that way he would end up with around 1000 left Jenny!

I dont think he explained the question correctly

[ChrisMG187]

How is the camel going to eat the bananas anyway? He doesnt have the luxury of opposable thumbs, so how's he gonna peel it?

[ChrisMG187]

But the answer would be 2,500, because he eats one every other mile.

[Brendan]

2500 is the answer unless there is more info to the question.

[irwin]

Hmm, i forgot to say that the camel can only hold 1000 bananas at a time... :D

[Nim]

Use the WEB Luke!

http://forum.swarthmore.edu/dr.math/faq/faq.camel.html

[styleee]

hmmm...

i'm going to try to figure this one out on my own. but i'm also going to ask my brainiac sister and my super smart roomate what they come up with.

but, its late, so i'll have to get back to you with an answer tomorrow :)

[irwin]

Thanks Nim! Looks like I just got an easy A for this assignment! :D