(Hopefully this one hasn't been posted it's a really old one I think don't post a solution if you ALREADY know the answer I haven't posted the solution cause I want people to actually try and not just look at the question then giveup right away.)

An old man has a boat and needs to cross the river, the problem is he has three things he needs to get across the river a chicken, a dog, and a sack of grain. He has three problems:

His boat can only support himself and one item,

The dog can't be left with the chicken, and

The chicken can't be left with the grain.

How does he get across with all three items intact?

Of course you can't pose "the farmer, fox goose and grain" puzzle without following it up with "the missionaries and the cannibals"

Same river, same boat (can only hold two people/things). Along comes a group consisting of three missionaries and three cannibals.

At no time can the cannibals be allowed to outnumber the missionaries on one side or the other, even momentarily (If here are a missionary and a cannibal in the boat and they approach a shore with one or two cannibals and no missionaries, you can't say "the missionary stays in the boat to bring it back. He's still outnumbered)

Get everyone across safely.

Posted by TomM on 2002-06-29 13:49:05