Saturday, September 26, 2009

[missionaries and cannibals] get them to the other side


Three missionaries and three cannibals want to get to the other side of a river. There is a small boat, which can fit only two. To prevent a tragedy, there can never be more cannibals than missionaries together.

Work out the combinations necessary to get them all safely to the other side. The solution is going to be something like:

1 missionary and 1 cannibal there, 1 missionary back;
1 missionary and 1 cannibal there .....

And so on. Solution will be given tomorrow morning.

Tomorrow morning: Answer is here.

9 comments:

  1. Surely you mean the boat can take 3.

    Best regards

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm sure I've done this before, years ago. Anyway, I have a newly calculated solution; that is with 3 people allowed in the boat.

    I don't think it can be done with just a 2-person boat, but I will look a little while longer for a solution, or proof that there is no path through the graph.

    Best regards

    ReplyDelete
  3. 2 cs cross
    1 returns.

    1c+1m crosses
    1m returns
    1m+1c crosses
    1m returns

    2ms cross
    1 returns
    2ms cross.

    Everybody is cross in this tale.

    STB.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Yes 2 cs cross
    Yes 1 returns.

    Yes 1c+1m crosses
    Yes 1m returns

    Yes 1m+1c crosses
    Yes 1m returns

    Yes 2ms cross
    No 1 returns

    2ms cross.

    That would leave the missionary outnumbered.

    ReplyDelete
  5. ScotsToryB said...
    2 cs cross
    1 returns.

    1c+1m crosses

    Delivery service to 2c's of 1m at far side. Yummy.

    btw: Why is it a tragedy that the poor misunderstood black cannibals are fed by the oppressive missionaries.

    Trip 1 MC
    Return M
    Trip 2 CC
    Return C
    Trip 3 MM
    Return MC
    Trip 4 MM
    Return C
    Trip 5 CC
    Return C
    Trip 6 CC
    All done. Cannibals hungry.

    ReplyDelete
  6. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missionaries_and_cannibals_problem

    And congrats to Lord T.

    Best regards

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thanks all - the "official answer" has been up all along here.

    Congrats!

    [No women took part - hmmmm.]

    ReplyDelete

Comments need a moniker of your choosing before or after ... no moniker, not posted, sorry.