Required Mathematical Intelligence

Chapter 54

The fortunate in all respects the catering manager of the Judge's Flats in London, and one of the Pilgrims, was indeed a rare dexterity and intelligence.In his apartment there lived 30 candidates for notaries, and although there were many jurists who were good at fooling others, he always took advantage of them whether they paid cash or kept accounts.

While stopping in a village, it happened that the miller and the weaver sat down to eat, and the miller had five loaves, and the weaver three, and the steward asked to share his refreshments.After eating, he took out eight coins and said with a smile:

"Please, both of you, decide how to distribute the food expenses fairly. This is a difficult problem that will test your thinking ability."

A lively debate ensued, attracting nearly all the pilgrims to join in.The steward and the servant argued that the miller deserved five and the weaver three, and the dull farmer made absurd proposals that the miller got seven and the weaver only one.The rough carpenter, priest and cook think that the two should share equally.They all tried their best to reject other people's opinions. In the end, everyone decided to ask the catering manager and ask him to come up with a solution.

So what did he claim?

Of course, the three of them shared the same amount of bread just now.

[Answer: The simple-minded farmer's statement, which seems so absurd, is quite true: the miller should get seven coins, and the weaver only one.Since all three eat the same amount of bread, it is clear that each serving is 8/3 loaves.The miller provided 15/3 loaves of bread and ate 8/3 loaves himself, so it can be seen that he ate 7/3 loaves for the manager.The weaver provided 9/3 of the bread, ate 8/3 of it himself, and only provided the manager with 1/3 of the bread.Therefore, the ratio of the two people's bread shares to the manager is 7:1, so the eight coins obtained should be divided according to the same ratio. ]
(End of this chapter)