A French foreign legion general must make a trip across the deserts of Tunis to a remote outpost. He must travel on foot from the nearest town, and the distance is such that it will take a person six days to cover it.

The problem is that a person on foot can only carry enough water and provisions to last him four days. The general can take with him any number of assistants to help him carry the supplies, but they must be fed as well, and cannot be left stranded in the desert.

How will the general make it across, and how many assistants will he need to help him? (Find the smallest number.)

The answer is 3 assistants. General leaves with two; after two days, they each have 2 days supply; the two assistants each give him 1 day supply; now he has four day supply to complete the journey; with 1 day supply, the two assistants return half way; a day ago, the third assistant will have left the starting point with four days supply; after 1 day, he has 3; he gives one each to the other assistants, 1 remaining for himself; with one day ration each, they had back.

Posted by paul kim on 2002-09-01 03:52:45