The Perfect Square

2009-07-17T09:22:00.003+08:00

Follow steps 1 to 4. No skipping of steps.

Step 1: Divide the unshaded part of the upper-left square into two equal parts.

Step 2: Divide the unshaded part of the upper-right square into three equal parts.

Step 3: Divide the unshaded part of the lower-right square into four equal parts.

Step 4: Divide the lower-left square into seven equal parts.

The Peasant

2009-07-17T08:01:00.001+08:00

From the book Introduction to the Design and Analysis of Algorithms by Anany Levitin

A peasant finds himself on a riverbank with a wolf, a goat, and a head of cabbage. He needs to transport all three to the other side of the river in his boat. However, the boat has room for only the peasant himself and one other item (either the wolf, the goat, or the cabbage). In his absence, the wolf would eat the goat, and the goat would eat the cabbage. Solve this problem for the peasant or prove it has no solution. (Note: The peasant is a vegetarian but does not like cabbage and hence can eat neither the goat nor the cabbage to help him solve the problem. And it goes without saying that the wolf is a protected species.)

Puzzle Collections

The Perfect Square

The Peasant