Question 22207: I need to write an algebraic statement to describe this situation, and I am stumped! One person can carry a 4-day supply of food and water for a trip across the desert that takes 6 days to cross. One person cannot make the trip alone because the food and water would be gone after 4 days. How many people would have to start out in order for one person to get across and the others to return to the starting point?
Found 2 solutions by wuwei96815, JWG:
Answer by wuwei96815(245)   (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website! If I interpret the question correctly, it would take 3 people to accomplish the mission. However, I solved it using logic. I wouldn't know how to write out the math involved.
Answer by JWG(21) (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website! This is a weird question, because there is not enough information. If we assume lots of different things, like the other people are faster or there is a lightened load that speeds up the group, then there are all sorts of scenarios. Yet we are still faced with the fact that they have to eat too, and we don't know whether or not they picked up supplies for the return trip. Bottom-line though, no matter how many people you add, if they all travel the same speed, since we can't assume, then they will all cross the desert at the same speed. I'm far from an expert, but this sounds like a bad question.
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