Personal Comment: My friend Rachel Ringhiser told this one to me. Thanks Rachel!
Camel's Journey Enigma
What we know: A camel has 3000 bananas.
He wants to go over a one thousand mile stretch of the desert.
He has to eat one banana for each mile he walks.
But he can only carry 1000 bananas at a time.
Waiting for him on the other side is his family.
He wants to find a way to bring as much bananas to them as possible.
Hint: He does't have to go all the way at the at once and he can leave bananas in the desert because he and his camel family are the only camels that eat bananas.
Enigma: Can he bring any extra bananas? - If so, how many?
Solution: I accepted a variety of answers. Technically the most is 533.333... but This is if you went an infinitesimally small distance and went back for more bananas and then back and forth until you reach the other side. I prefer the answer of going 250 miles, leaving a thousand bananas, going back and getting more. Then go to the 250 mark, go back and forth until you have all the bananas at the 250. The take all the bananas to the 500 mile mark then 750 then to the end.
Using this way, you end up having 500 bananas at the end.
See who got this right
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