Required Mathematical Intelligence

Chapter 74 Taiba's Dilemma

Perhaps no difficult problem has inspired so much joy as this one, posed by Harry Perry, proprietor of the Taiba Inn.He accompanied the party of pilgrims all the way, and once he called his companions together and said:
"My venerable gentlemen, it is my turn to enlighten your minds a little. I will tell you a difficult problem, which will give you a lot of trouble. But after all, I think you will find it very simple in the end. Please Behold, here lies a cask of excellent London white ale. I have two large mugs in my hand, one for five pints, the other for three. Please tell me how I pour it so that each There's exactly a pint in the cup?"

To answer this question, do not use any other container or equipment, and do not mark the cup.

[Answer: The puzzle posed by the merry proprietor of "Taba," the Sowerk inn, is more popular than that of the other pilgrims.

"I see, my gallant gentlemen," he exclaimed, "how well my little trick has confused your minds. Pour a pint into both cups, It has no difficulty for me without the aid of any other container."

So the owner of the Taiba Hotel began to explain to the pilgrims how to accomplish this problem that was initially thought to be impossible.He immediately filled both cups, and then turned on the tap to let the rest of the beer in the barrel flow to the floor (for this practice, his companions protested firmly. But the witty boss said that he knew exactly what happened. There is not much more than eight pints of beer in the keg. Note that the amount of beer drained does not affect the solution of this problem).He turned off the tap again; poured all the wine in the three-pint cup back into the barrel, then poured three pints from the larger cup into the smaller cup, and poured the three pints back into the barrel, and he again Pour the remaining two pints of wine in the large cup into the small cup, and fill the large cup (five pints) with the wine in the barrel, so that there is only one pint left in the barrel.He then filled the smaller cup with wine from the larger cup (only one pint could be poured out), let his companions drink up the wine in the smaller cup, then poured three pints from the larger cup into the smaller cup, leaving one pint in the larger cup, Drank the wine in the small cup again, and finally poured the remaining pint of wine in the small cup into the small cup.Thus the pilgrims found, with great astonishment and admiration, that in each cup there was now a pint of beer. ]
(End of this chapter)