After figuring how to plant your 10 trees in 5 rows, the tree keeper walks up to you.

I like your idea, but sometimes I get vicious squirrels that come and steal all the fruit off it...

I am installing some garden path such that it is harmless to humans but will shock squirrels. (This means the squirrels won't pass over it.) Can you place those 10 trees along 5 lines of straight garden path so that there are 4 trees on each garden path and there are some trees on the inside?

How would you arrange the trees this time?

The five lines of wire are placed to make a box with a diagonol line traversing from one corner to another.  This creates two seperate right angle triangles.  At each corner a tree will be planted.  This allows for four trees to be placed on the diagonol line and two trees on every other line.  To satisfy the other four wires place a tree on every corner of hte square.  This satisfies the solution. 

The wording could have been more clear in the problem.  Although it added to the challenge of solving the puzzle, the poor phrasing may lead to invalid solutions:  I wonder if that is the case with the solution above.

Posted by Eli on 2005-05-16 01:49:06