Catalyst

Good morning,

A Catalyst is a Great Help

We learned from Science,
in Chemistry, that a catalyst is a substance,
usually used in small amounts relative to the reactants,
that modifies and increases the rate of a reaction
without being consumed in the process.

This theory also applies to an activity in other areas.
When some event cannot initiate or gets stuck, introduce a catalyst.
It sounds easy, but it is true.
This has been illustrated in an old famous puzzle.

A rancher had 17 horses among other assets when he died.
In his will he stated that these horses should be distributed
to his three sons in the following proportions:
one-half, one-third and one-ninth respectively.
The three sons knew Arithmetic,
but still they could not apportion the horses as willed by their father.
So, they sent word to their uncle saying that they needed urgent help.
The uncle came in great haste riding an Appaloosa.
The brothers told their uncle about the problem,
took him to the corral and asked him to carry out their father's will.
The uncle did so, according to the will,
and everyone was happy
because there was no problem in the distribution.

The uncle had a meal with his nephews and went home.
When he reached home,
he wondered why his nephews had to ask for help.
He sat down and tried to figure it out.
And to his surprise, he found that there seemed to be a mistake,
as the Arithmetic did not work out.

So, the next morning he went back to the ranch.
He told his nephews that he had made a mistake,
and he wanted to check.
But as he did it again, everything turned out right.
Thus, having reassured himself, he went home, happy but confused

On his way home he met the local teacher.
When he told the teacher about the problem the teacher laughed.
Then the teacher explained the cause of the problem.
When he was carrying out the will, his own horse,
the Appaloosa, was taken into consideration, totalling 18,
and the Arithmetic worked out exactly.
The horses were distributed as 9, 6 and 2 horses.

So, you see, the Appaloosa was the catalyst.

Have a nice day.
Ronald