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Riddle: A bit difficult, I think.?
This is an ancient Riddle from Egypt. But I am going to use Dollar as a currency to make it clear.
There is an Oasis who is owned my Mr. J, and his business is to sell water to troops passing the dessert. One day there comes a Carvan having 30 Camels. The Leader asks Mr. J about the charges for feeding 30 Camels with water. After some negotiation, they agree that he will charge $1 for 2 camels. When they are almost finished, there comes another Carvan of 30 Camels, which is in fact a part of the first one left behind, having the brother of the First Leader as an incharge. Now The leader asks Mr. J to at least reduce the price for feeding these 30 camels. After some negotiation, they finally agree that he will charge $1 for 3 camels.
After they all have finished, the leader says to Mr. J that there were 60 camels in total. Half of them were fed Dollar per 2 and Half as Dollar per 3. So it's like $2 per 5 camels.
After they all have finished, the leader says to Mr. J that there were 60 camels in total. Half of them were fed Dollar per 2 and Half as Dollar per 3. So it's like $2 per 5 camels.
He calculates it and pays $24 to Mr. J. which he accepts. (As 60/5 x 2 = 24).
When they all leave, Mr. J. thinks:
If 30 Camels were fed at Dollar per 2 then it is $15. (As 30/2 = 15).
And if 30 Camels were fed at Dollar per 3, then it is $10. (As 30/3 = 10).
And the Total MUST Be $25. Then how come it is $24? Where is the missing Dollar?
Serendipity: Obviously the difference is because of the average, which is already said. But why and how? Make the calculations and prove that who is wrong?
This is simply shown in the riddle that the $1 is because one is calculating directly and another is calculating as an average. Obviously, this is not being asked. The point is, what is the difference between both the calculations. What is the technical error? This happens a lot in our daily life that we take some statistical data and take an average. But what's wrong here? Where did that $1 go if we take the mean?
14 Answers
- shogunlyLv 51 decade agoFavorite Answer
to find the average cost (or the cost for all )
30/2 times 1 + 30/3 times 1 all divided by 60
15 + 10 / 60 = 5/12 dollars for each camel
so the whole price would be 60 times 5/12 = 25
the most obvious error is that the addition was not done right
meaning
1/2 + 1/3 is not equal to 2/5
first you have to change the denominator or whatever the lower number is called so that half and third are still expressed but in different looking fractions that share the denominator
so
3/6 + 2/6 = 5/6
now to get the average obviously we have to divide by 2
5/6 divided by 2 = 5/6 times 1/2 = 5/12 dollars for each camel
like i said before
and the problem isnt with the average, its with how he calculated the average without unifying the denominators.
Source(s): 10 points please - 1 decade ago
Mr. J. should charge 25 dollars for the 60 camels (30@ 50 cents + 30@ 33&1/3 cents = $25 )
The leader is trying to average the amount to $2 per 5 camels which would be $24.
But the thing you have to remember is this takes place in the Middle east and everything the usually ends up cheaper because people there like to barter..........
By the way what exactly was the question to your riddle?
- 1 decade ago
60 / 5 = 12
12 * 2 = 24.
The leader got the guy to agree to 1 dollar less by offering 2 for every 5.
- eantaelorLv 41 decade ago
Just take it to individual camels....there were 30 half dollar camels and 30 one third dollar camels.....when it was averaged out ...some of the 1/2 dollar camels became 1/3 dollar camels.....simple.
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- 1 decade ago
No it comes to $25.00. You reduced it to a way that comes to $24.00. You cannot average the cost. Each 30 camel caravan gets charged separate according to the agreed upon price.
thanks for the thought provoking riddle!
- Anonymous1 decade ago
because at the next 30 cameul,one of the camuel from the first 30 went in the second 30,so he get $24
- Anonymous1 decade ago
and the moral of the story is? don't sell water to camels if they are owned by two brothers
