Sack

[Guest]

Logic does not have to be simple, only logical. Your bounds are set by the problem itself, no inference allowed. Now a few people have already posted the answer that fits without having to add information, like Nair's post about 7 comments back.

post May 12 2008, 01:57 PM

Post #44

"One can have some variation to the answer but logic is the same.

Pour lentil into buyer sack. Turn the sellers sack inside out . pour lentil back to seller's sack[]and tie up the sellers sack . Now untie the peas and pour into the buyer's sack. Only difference is buyer's sack is not turned inside out but sellers sack is."

Which happens to be quiet simple once you can visualize this answer.

[Guest]

I would have just cut a hole in the bottom of the sack so the peas fell into the buyers sack. Transaction complete.

[Guest]

you could cut the sack from the bottom, get the product and then tie the sack from the bottom

[Guest]

Couldn't you just hold the innkeepers bag under the farmers bag, then cut the bottom of the farmers bag ?

Then go home and ask the wife in the kitchen the stitch it back up. Or better yet put in a zipper incase this happens again !

[Guest]

The innkeeper doesn't want his goods to be devalued, and his goods are the peas. So why not pour the lentils out of the bag onto the floor and then just unbind the bag and pour the peas into the inkeepers bag. The loss wouldn't be too bad either if the inkeeper is rich.

[Guest]

The innkeeper doesn't want his goods to be devalued, and his goods are the peas. So why not pour the lentils out of the bag onto the floor and then just unbind the bag and pour the peas into the inkeepers bag.

Welcome to the Den. The goods are both the lentils and the peas. The point of the riddle is to not devalue either of them.

The loss wouldn't be too bad either if the inkeeper is rich.

But the rich are often smart with their money and don't buy what's unnecessary. The riddle specifically states "a rich innkeeper wanted to buy the peas, but he did not want the lentils". Your solution not only breaks the constraints of the riddle, it leaves the farmer with lentils that have been poured on the floor, and the farmer is poor.

[Guest]

then trade sacks

^{It says you can't trade sacks.}

[Guest]

i would ve jst cut the sack under the knot which would make two sacks, and then u just give the one with the peas to the rich person buying them. i think that the "Hw would you solve this problem if you had only the sack of the innkeeper way u put" made us thikn only one bag was involved, not two.

[Guest]

Open the sack from the bottom and sell the peas. Now there is room in the sack and knot can be tied at this end too.

[Guest]

I have an issue with this. You end up putting the peas in an inside-out sack. The sack has probably been sitting in all kinds of places, and the outside is probably dirty. Isn't putting the peas in contact with the outside of the sack devaluing it?

[Guest]

Hmmm.....seems like you could tie the InnKeepers bag in half. Not vertically but horizontally. Then you would have two openings with a not between. Pour the lentils into one side and the peas in the other. Then hold the pea side closed while you pour the lentils back into the farmers sack.