Mental Floss (5)
Posted by webmaster 3 November 2006
Congratulations to Felicity Stewart of the Sentencing Council who was the first to correctly answer both questions last week by deciding the water in the lock would go down and that the guide was not necessarily one of the human guides.
This week’s questions are:
A farmer was travelling across country carrying a dingo, a chicken and a bag of corn when he came to a river. There was a small boat in which he could ferry only one of the three items across at any one time. He could not leave the dingo alone with the chicken lest the chicken be eaten. He dare not leave the chicken with the corn or the corn might be eaten. How then, did he get all three across ?
and on a less rigorous note …
How far can a dog run into a forest ?
Submit your answers into the Comments section below. We will again allow the responses to accumulate before posting them in chronological order. The first in with both correct responses will receive a Lateral Thinking Mug courtesy of the CIN.
a
November 3rd, 2006 at 3:50 pm
Q1-
1st trip take the chicken (leaving the dingo & corn)
2nd trip take the dingo, bring back the chicken (leaving the dingo)
3rd trip take the corn (leaving the dingo & corn)
4th trip take the chicken.
Q2-as far as he likes!
November 3rd, 2006 at 4:27 pm
The farmer would take the chicken across first. Then he would come back and take the corn across and take the chicken back. He would leave the chicken and take the fox across. He would then come back and take the chicken across. This would mean lots of trips for the chicken and nothing eaten that shouldnt be.
A dog can run as far as it is able into the forest, or half as far if it wants to come back.
November 6th, 2006 at 9:08 am
I think the first one has been answered (and all fans of The Office would be well aware of the consternation this question can cause!).
On the second one. The dog will run into the forest halfway because when he’s coming back he’s running out of the forest.
November 6th, 2006 at 1:03 pm
A dog can run half way into a forest then he/she would be running out of the forest.
November 6th, 2006 at 1:07 pm
Confused about dingos that convert to foxes but would answer as previously mentioned.
The dog would runs as far as the first tree then stop to lift its leg.
November 6th, 2006 at 1:21 pm
First trip – take the chicken. Return for the corn, then replace the chicken with the corn. Return with the chicken, then swap the chicken for the dingo. On the final trip the farmer can come back for the chicken and all is sorted!
The dog can run as far as it likes but once it’s half way it will be running out of the forest…. not into it!
November 6th, 2006 at 1:31 pm
Liz & Donna are very patient arent they.
Not me, I would:
shoot the fox because they are a damned nuisance
cook up some polenta for my lunch
tie the dingo up to the outside of the boat because she enjoys a swim and needed a bath anyway
and paddle across with my chook
As for the other dog: all the way in
November 6th, 2006 at 1:50 pm
When changing the protagonists to better suit the cultural surrounds, one needs to proof read better for consistency – sorry!
November 6th, 2006 at 2:41 pm
Re: “How far can a dog run into a forest?”
Half-way into the forest. Beyond that, the dog will be running OUT of the forest!
November 9th, 2006 at 8:46 am
Regarding the supposed correct answer for last week (Mt Climbing). A sherpa by definition is a human. Sherpa’s are an ethnic group from the Nepal Mountains. The answer is more likely to be that they were tied together and pulled the sherpa out(which was the most common response). Or that the sherpa that fell was already dead.
November 10th, 2006 at 8:48 am
Q1 :
1st Trip :
The farmer would ferry the chicken across leaving the dingo & corn on the first river bank.
2nd Trip :
He would return to the first river bank by himself, leaving the chicken on the second river bank.
3rd Trip :
He would next take the dingo across to the second river bank, leaving only the corn on the first river bank.
4th Trip :
He would leave the Dingo on the second river bank and bring back the chicken to the first river bank.
5th Trip :
He would leave the chicken on the first river bank and ferry the corn to the second river bank.
6th Trip :
He would leave the corn with the Dingo on the second river bank and return by himself to the first river bank.
7th Trip :
He would finally take the chicken across from the first river bank to the second and continue his journey with the 3 of them.
Q2 :
Assuming that we are referring to a perfectly healthy & normal dog, whose movement is not restricted in any way, and that there is enough motivation for the dog to continue running into the forest, the dog can run as far as it needs to. If the dog needs to return to its starting point, then the only physical limitation would be that when it runs out of piss to smell its way back.