hardlogic

Illustration for riddle: An intelligent trader travels from one place to another with 3 sacks having 30 coconuts each. No sac — Can you figure out this riddle?

An intelligent trader travels from one place to another with 3 sacks having 30 coconuts each. No sack can hold more than 30 coconuts. On the way, he passes 30 check points. At each check point, he has to give one coconut for every sack he is carrying. What is the maximum number of coconuts that he can have with him at the end of his journey?

He will have 25 coconuts with him at the end. The trick is to reduce the number of sacks as you pass checkpoints. The first 10 checkpoints require 3 coconuts each, which empties his first sack. The next 15 checkpoints require 2 coconuts each, which will empty his second stack. Now, he is left with 1 sack and 5 more checkpoints. So, the 5 checkpoints will take 1 coconut each. Therefore, he will be left with 25 coconuts.

Why this works

This riddle cleverly plays with the concept of managing resources and reducing the number of sacks to minimize losses. Initially, the trader has 3 sacks, so he pays 3 coconuts at each of the first 10 checkpoints, which takes out the first sack completely (30 coconuts - 30 coconuts = 0). Then, with just 2 sacks left, he pays 2 coconuts at each of the next 15 checkpoints, depleting the second sack (30 - 30 = 0). Finally, with only 1 sack remaining, he only needs to pay 1 coconut at each of the last 5 checkpoints, leaving him with 25 coconuts. The riddle teaches us about strategic thinking and resource management in a fun and engaging way!

Common Wrong Answers

“30 coconuts”

This answer assumes that the trader can keep all his coconuts without giving any away at the checkpoints, which is incorrect since he has to pay one coconut for each sack he carries.

“0 coconuts”

This answer suggests that the trader would lose all his coconuts, which is not true. He can manage his sacks to retain some coconuts, as demonstrated by the correct answer.

“15 coconuts”

This answer doesn't account for the strategic reduction of sacks; the trader can manage to keep more than 15 by smartly dropping sacks at the right checkpoints.

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