Five men and five dogs (each man owned a dog) went hiking. They encountered a river that was swift and deep. The only way to cross it was an abandoned boat, left ashore on their side. But it would only hold three living things. Unfortunately, the dogs were edgy and could not be near another person (not even momentarily) unless its owner was present. One of the dogs attended a highly advanced, highly specialized obedience school and therefore knew how to operate the boat -- the other dogs lack this skill.
How did the five men and the five dogs cross the river?
Let's call the men A, B, C, D, and E, and let's call the dogs owned by the respective men a, b, c, d, e, with the 'smart' dog being a.
(I hope this notation is clear)
---- AaBbCcDdEe
abc {--- ABCDdEe
bc ---} AaBCDdEe
abcd {--- ABCDEe
bcd ---} AaBCDEe
BbCcDd {--- AaEe
BbCc ---} AaDdEe
AaBbCc {--- DdEe
AaBb ---} CcDdEe
AaBbCDE {--- cde
ABbCDE ---} acde
AaBbCcDdE {--- e
ABbCcDdE ---} ae
AaBbCcDdEe {---
Pre tags don't seem to be working
Edited on September 15, 2003, 9:12 am
Solution (spoiler)
