Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Missionaries & Cannibals
Hello,
Dancing with unpredictable headhunters !
Three missionaries were returning from a hard day's work at a tribal settlement deep in the jungles of Borneo. As they came to the river bank they found three headhunters around their boat. These headhunters were not hostile, but it was known that they would turn treacherously cannibalistic whenever they have an advantage in number; they wouldn't do anything harmful otherwise, that is, when they were outnumbered or even in number.
Under the circumstances, the three missionaries had a problem with their lives at stake because the boat could carry only two people at any one time across the river.
They could not leave a third member hehind by having two ride across on the first trip. But being learned and wise as they were, they managed to shuttle to and fro with the headhunters across the river and returned safely to their base.
How did they manage, since they must not be outnumbered by the headhunters on either bank of the river at any one time ?
This is an interesting puzzle, but for those who do not wish to tax their brain too much the solution is given in codes below to avoid being seen easily by those who wish to solve it.
Have a nice day
Ronald
Solution to Missionaries & Cannibals:
1F: 2h, 1R: 1h, 2F: 2h, 2R: 1h, 3F: 2m, 3R:1m1h , 4F: 2m
(Where m= missionary, h=headhunter, F=forward, R=return, and the number is the trip number)
After the fourth trip all the three missionaries were across safely with only one headhunter, leaving the other two headhunters on the other bank.
Dancing with unpredictable headhunters !
Three missionaries were returning from a hard day's work at a tribal settlement deep in the jungles of Borneo. As they came to the river bank they found three headhunters around their boat. These headhunters were not hostile, but it was known that they would turn treacherously cannibalistic whenever they have an advantage in number; they wouldn't do anything harmful otherwise, that is, when they were outnumbered or even in number.
Under the circumstances, the three missionaries had a problem with their lives at stake because the boat could carry only two people at any one time across the river.
They could not leave a third member hehind by having two ride across on the first trip. But being learned and wise as they were, they managed to shuttle to and fro with the headhunters across the river and returned safely to their base.
How did they manage, since they must not be outnumbered by the headhunters on either bank of the river at any one time ?
This is an interesting puzzle, but for those who do not wish to tax their brain too much the solution is given in codes below to avoid being seen easily by those who wish to solve it.
Have a nice day
Ronald
Solution to Missionaries & Cannibals:
1F: 2h, 1R: 1h, 2F: 2h, 2R: 1h, 3F: 2m, 3R:1m1h , 4F: 2m
(Where m= missionary, h=headhunter, F=forward, R=return, and the number is the trip number)
After the fourth trip all the three missionaries were across safely with only one headhunter, leaving the other two headhunters on the other bank.
# posted by chunmu @ 8:51 PM 
