Post by Frizzle on Oct 22, 2009 20:17:49 GMT -7
I posted this on facebook a while ago:
You have an 8 gallon jug full of water, an empty 3 gallon jug, and an empty 5 gallon jug. How do you measure out exactly 4 gallons?
But Cam needed a story/reason to measure this water out so i created this gem and i just thought i'd archive it here at least...
While walking in a forest near your cottage you find a fanciful troll. He has the uncanny ability to tell you exactly how much water is in any container he holds. He tells you that, unfortunately, the angle of the sunlight bouncing off the moon has reduced his power to only work on 8 gallons of water or more. He also tells you that if you can give him a jug with 4 gallons of water he may be able to restore his power to full. To test him, you fill up your 8 gallon jug at the well and give it to him without telling how much you think it is (you’re not sure whether it is 8 gallons either but it was in the 8 gallon spot on the shelf so you suspect it is). He tells you 8 gallons are in it and since it was in that spot on the shelf, this is enough to convince you 8 gallons of water are in it.
The troll also tells you that if you agree to help him, he’ll be your friend and fulfill all your wildest water-measuring dreams. As it so happens, your jug collection (as you are a world-renowned jug collector) is now incomplete due to a rhinoceros impaling the majority of your collection because of a recent zoo mishap. All of your jugs' water containing capabilities are rendered useless! You only managed to salvage the 8 gallon jug, the 5 gallon jug, and the 3 gallon jug. By a similar stroke of unluckiness, your in-room humidifier has run out of water right as the rhinoceros catastrophe occurred and your skin is dry as an alcoholic’s whiskey bottle! Your humidifier’s instruction manual tells you that if you put more than exactly 4 gallons of water in it: it explodes, and if you put less than exactly 4 gallons of water in it: it will create a black hole (this humidifier doesn’t play around!). While neither outcome seems preferable you decide that you need 4 gallons exactly in it to ensure moist yet supple skin. But the d**n humidifier doesn’t have a “fill to” line in its water container, and it seems WAY too big to contain just 4 gallons. Who the hell designed this humidifier??
So it would seem that you need exactly 2 jugs both containing 4 gallons of water each (the 8 gallon and the 5 gallon), one for the troll to restore his powers, and one for you humidifier. There may be a round-about way to get 4 gallons but you know you can do it quickly and easily with your now full 8 gallon jug and the empty 5 and the 3 gallon jugs as well. Hurry! Time is of the essence because your skin is starting to crack and that troll has one MEAN temper.
You have an 8 gallon jug full of water, an empty 3 gallon jug, and an empty 5 gallon jug. How do you measure out exactly 4 gallons?
But Cam needed a story/reason to measure this water out so i created this gem and i just thought i'd archive it here at least...
While walking in a forest near your cottage you find a fanciful troll. He has the uncanny ability to tell you exactly how much water is in any container he holds. He tells you that, unfortunately, the angle of the sunlight bouncing off the moon has reduced his power to only work on 8 gallons of water or more. He also tells you that if you can give him a jug with 4 gallons of water he may be able to restore his power to full. To test him, you fill up your 8 gallon jug at the well and give it to him without telling how much you think it is (you’re not sure whether it is 8 gallons either but it was in the 8 gallon spot on the shelf so you suspect it is). He tells you 8 gallons are in it and since it was in that spot on the shelf, this is enough to convince you 8 gallons of water are in it.
The troll also tells you that if you agree to help him, he’ll be your friend and fulfill all your wildest water-measuring dreams. As it so happens, your jug collection (as you are a world-renowned jug collector) is now incomplete due to a rhinoceros impaling the majority of your collection because of a recent zoo mishap. All of your jugs' water containing capabilities are rendered useless! You only managed to salvage the 8 gallon jug, the 5 gallon jug, and the 3 gallon jug. By a similar stroke of unluckiness, your in-room humidifier has run out of water right as the rhinoceros catastrophe occurred and your skin is dry as an alcoholic’s whiskey bottle! Your humidifier’s instruction manual tells you that if you put more than exactly 4 gallons of water in it: it explodes, and if you put less than exactly 4 gallons of water in it: it will create a black hole (this humidifier doesn’t play around!). While neither outcome seems preferable you decide that you need 4 gallons exactly in it to ensure moist yet supple skin. But the d**n humidifier doesn’t have a “fill to” line in its water container, and it seems WAY too big to contain just 4 gallons. Who the hell designed this humidifier??
So it would seem that you need exactly 2 jugs both containing 4 gallons of water each (the 8 gallon and the 5 gallon), one for the troll to restore his powers, and one for you humidifier. There may be a round-about way to get 4 gallons but you know you can do it quickly and easily with your now full 8 gallon jug and the empty 5 and the 3 gallon jugs as well. Hurry! Time is of the essence because your skin is starting to crack and that troll has one MEAN temper.
