Re: A Number Theory Problem....

[Eric Cordian <emc@wire.insync.net>]

Tim writes:

> Some say 533 and a third.

This is correct if the camel eats bananas continuously, as opposed to
discretely.

Starting with 3,000 bananas, the camel can deposit 2,000 bananas 200 miles
from his starting point.  He can then deposit 1,000 bananas another 333
1/3 miles from that point.  There now remain 466 2/3 miles to go, and
bananas to eat, leaving the camel with 533 1/3 bananas upon reaching the
other side.

If the camel eats bananas in discrete quanta, we lose the fractional
banana. 

-- 
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http://www.cyberspace.org/~enoch/crakfaq.html

 




> 
> What was your point in posing this with the answer at the bottom. This
> problem shows up in the math newsgroups and is not an interesting CP topic.
> 
> --Tim May
> 
> 
> 
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