Puzzle 31 | (Minimum cut Puzzle)
Puzzle: You have got someone working for you for five days and a gold bar to pay him. You must give them a piece of gold at the end of every day. What are the fewest number of cuts to the bar of gold that will allow you to pay him 1/5th each day?
Answer: 2 cuts.
Solution:
Explanation 1:
[1 unit and two 2 units]
Days Gold Bars(Vendor) Gold Bars(Worker) Comments Day 0 [1, 2, 2] [] Initially Worker have 0 Gold Bars unit. Day 1 [2, 2] [1] Pay the worker Gold Bar with 1 unit. Day 2 [1, 2] [2] Pay the worker Gold with 2 units and take back the gold bar with 1 unit. Day 3 [2] [1, 2] Pay the worker Gold Bar with 1 unit. Day 4 [1] [2, 2] Pay the worker Gold with 2 units and take back the gold bar with 1 unit. Day 5 [] [1, 2, 2] Pay the worker with only left Gold Bar with 1 unit.
[two 1 units and one 3 unit]
Days Gold Bars(Vendor) Gold Bars(Worker) Comments Day 0 [1, 1, 3] [] Initially Worker have 0 Gold Bars unit. Day 1 [1, 3] [1] Pay the worker Gold Bar with 1 unit. Day 2 [3] [1,1] Pay the worker Gold with other 1 units. Day 3 [1,1] [3] Pay the worker Gold Bar with 3 unit and take back all the gold bar with 1 unit. Day 4 [1] [1, 3] Pay the worker Gold with 1 unit. Day 5 [] [1, 1, 3] Pay the worker with only left Gold Bar with 1 unit.
Similar Puzzle: Pay an employee using a 7 units gold rod?
This article is contributed by Vikash Kumar. Please write comments if you find anything incorrect, or you want to share more information about the topic discussed above
