48 replies to this topic

[Andy pyro]

Well, I see a small thing with this puzzle... It isn't possible to have exactly 3/4/5 liters in a bowl, because sometime during the solution, you would spill some water. So, if you are extremely careful, or you've put a lid or something over the top of the bowl, the water should not spill out, but mostly, even one drop of water would spill out, making it almost 3/4/5 liters. Ok, I'm starting to confuse myself.

[hawaiidave]

Just curious. Why would you not just spill the 5 into the 3 catching the overspill both times? Seems the easiest to me.

[mfhelen]

You fill the 3 liter ones
Then pour the water from the 3 liter in the 5 liter. you now have 2 liter of water space left in the 5 liter jar.
You fill the 3 liter with water again
Then you pour water from the 3 liter container into the 5 liter comtainer
when the 5 liter is full you know you have ONE liter left in the 3 liter container.

[Martini]

Just curious. Why would you not just spill the 5 into the 3 catching the overspill both times? Seems the easiest to me.

Because what makes the riddle challenging is you don't have anything besides the 3 litre and 5 litre bowls to hold water in.

[laks]

First fill the water in 3litres bowl
Then pour the water in bowl to 5litres bowl
Then fill the 3ltrs bowl again and pour the water in 5ltr bowl
they left 1ltr of water in 3ltr bowl.
Empty the 5ltr bowl and then pour the 1ltr in that bowl.Again fill the 3ltr bowl full of water.
Then pour the entire water in the 5ltr bowl.it will contain exact 4ltrs of water.

[grottylittlewanker]

I like that with a 3 liter container and a 5 liter container you can effectively measure out any (non-fractional) number of liters... only up to 8 liters if you can only use the two containers

[Evil.Mustard]

If you had a way to measure how much you were filling and pouring out, why wouldn't you just go ahead and put four liters into the five liter bowl. Or just fill it up and pour out a liter. Why waste water? I see no point in the three liter bowl.

[yarelm]

It's more difficult to read the responses than come up with a solution yourself. That's because it is difficult to write an answer that is easy to read. I don't think I've made it any easier but I've given it a shot.

Fill the 5L bowl, then fill the 3L bowl with water out of the 5L bowl to leave 2L in the 5L bowl.
Dump the 3L bowl and pour the 2L of water from the 5L bowl into the 3L bowl. You now have 2L of water in the 3L bowl (room for 1 more)
Fill the 5L bowl again and then fill the 3L bowl with water out of the 5L bowl. Tadah!!! 5 - 1 = 4.

[eric11]

Pouring water I. - Back to the Water and Weighing Puzzles
If you had a 5-litre and a 3-litre bowl and access to water. How would you measure exactly 4 litres?

Spoiler for Solution

Pouring Water I. - solution
Fill the 5-litre bowl and overspill water to the 3-litre bowl, which you empty afterwards. From the 5-litre bowl overspill the 2 remaining litres to the 3-litre bowl. Refill the 5-litre bowl and fill in the 3-litre bowl (with 1 litre), so there stay the 4 required litres in the 5-litre bowl.

That's a good answer but try measuring four liters without wasting any water. Assume there is a drought. The solution is possible.

[eric11]

That's a good answer but try measuring four liters without wasting any water. Assume there is a drought. The solution is possible.

I forgot to mention that you must assume that the bowls are the same sizea although not same in volume.