SOLUTION: Im stuck!! Can you please help....Here's the question A Camel rests by a pile of 3000 bananas at the edge of a 1000 mile wide desert. He plans to travel across the desert, tranp

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Question 52915: Im stuck!! Can you please help....Here's the question
A Camel rests by a pile of 3000 bananas at the edge of a 1000 mile wide desert. He plans to travel across the desert, tranporting as many bananas as possible to the ohter side. He can carry up to 1000 bananas at any given time, but he must eat one banana at every mile. What is the maximum number of bananas the camel can transport across the desert? How does he do it?
If he has to eat one at every mile he wouldn't have any left?? Is a "1000 wide desert" different than 1000 miles long? I appreciate your help!
Answer by 303795(602) (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
I don't know if this is the best answer but I can get 500 across the desert.
Take 1000 bananas to the 250 mile mark. Drop off 500 and go back to the start.
Again take 1000 bananas to the 250 mile mark. Drop off 500 and go back to the start.
Load the last 1000 bananas and travel to the 250 mile mark. You now have 1750 bananas at this position.
Take 1000 bananas to the 500 mile mark. Drop off 500 and go back to the 250 mile mark.
Take the 750 bananas to the 500 mile mark. You now have a total of 1000 bananas at this point.
Load all the bananas and walk to the other side of the desert. You will use up 500 of the bananas so you will still have 500 left.
Presumably the reference to a 1000 mile wide desert is so that the camel has to cross the desert rather than walk around it.