Home > Riddles > The fair counting of the loaves
It is one of the best miniatures of fair distribution: it seems like elementary arithmetic, but it forces us to distinguish between what each one carried and what he really contributed to the third.
Two travelers cross the desert. One carries 5 loaves.
The other has 3 loaves. Halfway there they are joined by a third traveler, who does not bring food.
The three decide to share the 8 loaves equally. When saying goodbye, the newcomer leaves them 8 coins as thanks.
The first proposes to distribute them according to the loaves that each one carried: 5 coins for him and 3 for the other. Is that distribution correct?
If not, how should the 8 coins actually be divided?
The 8 loaves, divided among 3 people, give each person 8/3 loaves. The traveler who carried 5 loaves consumed 8/3 and, therefore, contributed to the third:
5 - 8/3 = 7/3 loaves The traveler who carried 3 loaves consumed 8/3 and contributed:
3 - 8/3 = 1/3 loaves So the third traveler ate in a 7:1 ratio of one to the other.
Therefore, the 8 coins must also be distributed in a 7:1 ratio:
7 coins for those who carried 5 loaves and 1 coin for those who carried 3 loaves.
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