A motley assortment of interesting (?) things

Thursday, June 21, 2007

Peas of Mind

A poor farmer grew peas and beans on his farm. At harvest time he gathers the peas and beans, but being poor, he has only one sack to take to the market. Not wanting to mix them, he pours the peas into the sack, ties it up and then pours the beans in.

In the market he meets a trader who wants to buy the peas. The trader has a sack too, in which he wants to carry away the peas but is not willing to trade his sack with the farmer's. Neither the farmer or the trader want to devalue the peas or the beans by pouring them out on the ground.

You chance along these individuals in the market, can you help the farmer make the sale?

(No you are not interested in purchasing the beans :p)

4 comments:

Ra.Ge said...

No takers huh? :P

Anurag said...

One possible solution, but it depends on the size of the buyer's sack. We assume it is as large as the farmer's sack.

1. Buyer inverts his sack.
2. Farmer puts the beans in buyer's inverted sack (beans are "contained on the outside" of the sack).
3. The inverted sack containing the beans is tightly tied with the string and inverted again.
4. Farmer puts the peas "inside" the buyer's sack. Farmer's sack is now empty.
5. Buyer holds his sack above the farmer's sack and unties the string. Beans fall into the farmer's sack.
6. The both buy me a beer (this step proves the solution was successful).

Ra.Ge said...

Thats the only solution I know. Good work!

If you are ever in Chennai, look me up, I will buy you that beer.

Anurag said...

Hey, for a beer, I will come to Chennai. :)