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A great time waster

February 14th, 2006
Posted by gerrod in: general

Ian sent me a Chinese IQ test which asides from being a serious time waster, is an extreme modification to the classic “river crossing” problem:

  • A farmer has a fox, a chicken, and a sack of grain, and must get them all across a river;
  • His boat can only hold the farmer and at most one other thing;
  • If the fox is left alone with the chicken, the fox will eat the chicken;
  • If the chicken is left alone with the grain, the chicken will eat the grain;

Q: How can the farmer bring everything to the far side of the river intact?

Why the farmer has a fox is beyond me, but still it’s a fairly easy puzzle. So if you find that easy to solve, go ahead and try Ian’s IQ test which is much more difficult (but it’s animated, so it’s also more fun).

Kristy and I both managed to work out the solution though, so if you give up and want the answer, read below.

I never said it was easy!

  1. Send the cop over with the thief
  2. Send the cop back alone
  3. Send the cop over with one of the boys
  4. Send the cop back with the thief
  5. Send the father and the other boy over
  6. Send the father back alone
  7. Send the mother and father over
  8. Send the mother back alone
  9. Send the cop and the thief over
  10. Send the father back alone
  11. Send the mother and the father over
  12. Send the mother back alone
  13. Send the mother over with one of the girls
  14. Send the cop and the thief back
  15. Send the cop over with the other girl
  16. Send the cop back alone
  17. Send the cop over with the thief

5 comments

#1 melissaamy February 14th, 2006 at 11:51 pm

I got it, but this puter has no PP as I accidently deleted it sometime ago and never bothered to readd it back…<br><br>the solution is not too hard though as you can never leave a fox and a chicken alone, BUT WHY would you have the fox to begin with if you are a chicken farmer?<br>Our local chicken farmed who raises and sell organic chicke and eggs was wiped out last summer by ONE fox. Bastage…

#2 melissaamy February 14th, 2006 at 11:54 pm

and see, that is what I get for posting while doped up on nyquil…..<br><br>I loaded it on the other laptop and solved it…to make that way too long story short.<br><br>Gah…now to bed with my diseased self…

#3 NC February 15th, 2006 at 3:25 pm

That scenario reminds me of the training day episode from The Office! Ah good times good times…<br><br>Gareth: If the farmer’s gay, he shouldn’t be allowed near animals…

#4 ben February 15th, 2006 at 3:39 pm

Gay – "Of, relating to, or having a sexual orientation to <strong>persons</strong> of the same sex."<br><br>If the farmer is a deviant or just digs animals then it might be appropriate for him not to be left alone with them :P

#5 he who knows February 15th, 2006 at 10:30 pm

Ben, <br><br>So how much did you like "Brokeback Mountain" ?