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        riddles >> hard >> Camel Banana Transport
        
(Message started by: tyler on Jul 23^rd, 2002, 10:06pm)

Title: Camel Banana Transport
Post by tyler on Jul 23^rd, 2002, 10:06pm

Camel Banana Transport (http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~wwu/riddles/hard.shtml#camelBanana)

does the camel require bananas to travel? ie:go 1 unit, drop off 999, can he go back to get another 1k?

// Link added and Title changed by moderator //

Title: Re: camel problem?
Post by Dave on Jul 23^rd, 2002, 10:18pm

Tells them to ti.

Title: Re: camel problem?
Post by tyler on Jul 23^rd, 2002, 10:21pm

engrish?

Title: Re: camel problem?
Post by Ctrl-D on Jul 23^rd, 2002, 10:23pm

Simple. He tells them to grab his brothers camel and get there first. It is dependent on the camel, not the brother.

^D

Title: Re: camel problem?
Post by Xactoguy on Jul 23^rd, 2002, 10:36pm

Well, you have to be able to drop off the bananas, or else this would be a futile riddle, because you would arrive with all the bananas eaten.

Title: Re: camel problem?
Post by Tom Shields on Jul 23^rd, 2002, 10:47pm

Anybody get an answer larger than 533?

Title: Re: camel problem?
Post by Xactoguy on Jul 23^rd, 2002, 11:35pm

I managed to get 534 bananas using this logic.

For first 200 steps, transport all the bananas, taking multiple trips, consuming 5 bananas for each step travelled. At step 200 you arrive with ( 3000 - 5 * 200 ) or 2000 bananas.

For next 333 steps ( or until step 533 ) continue transporting all the bananas in multiple trips. However, because only 2 trips are required, only 3 bananas are consumed each trip.

At step 533, the camel now has ( 2000 - 333 * 3 ) or 1001 bananas left to transport. Therefore, rather than consuming 3 due to the fact that he has greater than 1000 bananas, he simply eats the 1001th banana, and transports the other 1000 bananas, consuming one each step, for the rest of the way.

For the remaining 467 steps, this equals 467 bananas eaten, or 1001 - 467 = 534 bananas in total.

I hope that all my logic works out for that. Anyone found a better solution yet?

Title: Re: camel problem?
Post by James G on Jul 24^th, 2002, 1:41am

Hmmm, seems there are 2 camel problems happening here. I'm just going for the easy one.
Having a tie could work, because both camels cross last. _But_ why are they racing? That can't be the answer, or they'd be peacibly trotting along side-by-side. (Yes?)
Taking brother's camel could potentially work. (And explains the rush.) _But_ depending on the rules, it might only work if you could then get your own camel back afterward, because your camel hasn't crossed last if it hasn't crossed. And as an aside, this is assuming that the race will finish after both camels have crossed, although that sounds like a reasonable assumption.
Alternatively, you could cross first, and disassemble the finish line. Or block it until the race it is declared over, (or the will is written, or dad dies), and it doesn't matter any more. Or cross the finish line, then kill your brother's camel (and maybe your brother for good measure). Or cross the finish line and kill your dad, maybe.
Ok, I've kind of forgotten the exact wording of the question, but I'm sure one of these (or some combination) will work.

Title: Re: camel problem?
Post by Alf on Jul 25^th, 2002, 3:40am

For the easy one:
The man tells them that they are now running on each other camel, so if you arrive first your camel will arrive the last one.

For the one about bananas:
I also though about that logic and 534 seems the better move for me.

Title: Re: camel problem?
Post by Tom Shields on Jul 25^th, 2002, 10:30pm

Well done, Xactoguy! I used the same logic, but missed the fact that the banana is eaten at the beginning of the unit, thus the 1001th banana can get used. Thanks!

Title: Re: camel problem?
Post by Ones Self on Jul 28^th, 2002, 9:21pm

I managed to get 834 bananas across. This assumes that the camel does not eat anything if it doesn't carry anything.

You load it up with 1000 bananas and move 1 unit, drop the bananas move back and carry a 1000 more, and so on, until you get to the finish line.

This means that for the first 333 units you lose 3 bananas a unit, until you only have to make 2 trips back. Then you only lose 2 bananas a unit for 500 more units. For the last 167 units you lose 1 banana per unit. That means that all in all you're left with 834 bananas.

I think.

Title: Re: camel problem?
Post by mike1102 on Jul 30^th, 2003, 6:00am

don't use that @#$!@ banana eating camel. Move the bananas yourself - then the maximum number of bananas you can transport is 3000.

Title: Re: Camel Banana Transport
Post by Guest152 on Jul 21^st, 2004, 4:38pm

Unless a unit is a really long distnace, like a lightyear, in which case a bannanna is fairly good pay for a unit that long ;)