| |
BGonline.org Forums
Counterfeit Checker, Part 2
Posted By: Nack Ballard
Date: Tuesday, 19 February 2019, at 7:02 p.m.
The years rolled by. Aladdin shared his good fortune with extended family and friends, with enough left over to buy a small parcel of land for himself. However, with this came newfound responsibilities, and he found himself under financial pressure.
King Shahryar, with eyes and ears everywhere, was aware of his subject's evolving situation. The renowned dynast decided it was time to make his next move.
Aladdin cantered up to the castle for his afternoon game. However, in the grand entertainment hall, he saw no sign of his opponent, and on the usual table the backgammon board was set up only with the gold checkers. Instinctively, he reached for the silver checkers (stacked off to the side) to mirror the gold setup and complete the starting position.
As he leaned over, he was interrupted by a familiar voice behind him. "Don't you want to hear my proposition first?"
Aladdin's initial reaction was a tingle of excitement. "It can't hurt to hear it, right?"
"Right!" Greatly encouraged, the overlord explained his new puzzle:
"The fifteen golden checkers you see on the board all weigh the same except for one counterfeit, which is slightly lighter or heavier, but I'm not telling you which. One of the legitimate checker/coins is marked with an X; the rest look identical. You are allowed three weighs on my precise balance scale to identify the counterfeit. In other words, the conditions are the same as the six-checker problem, but with more checkers and an extra weigh."
The struggling land owner braced himself. "What must I put at risk?"
"A greater prize on one side means a greater prize on the other," the sovereign grinned. "Your daughter, who is of age, now, is added to my potential gain -- a twofer."
"TWO wives, a mother and a daughter?," the antagonist recoiled, trying hard not to imagine such a horror.
"Well, one wife is enough. We'll see about the other." This time the grin was accompanied by a twinkle.
Only one of the men found humor in the remark. "How about you throw me in the snakepit instead?" Aladdin was as serious as an outbreak of typhoid fever.
"And forever lose such a fine backgammon partner? "Nay!" The emperior neighed.
"Hmm... how long do I have to decide whether to agree to your proposal?"
"I will permit you one week to decide," the arch-ruler proclaimed with a sweeping wave of the hand. "I will be gone anyway, sailing out to view newly acquired lands."
After an uncharacteristically short backgammon session (with a different set of checkers), to which the would-be puzzle solver could pay little attention, he trotted back home to think long and hard.
Would Aladdin be wise to accept his majesty's proposition?
Nack
| |
BGonline.org Forums is maintained by Stick with WebBBS 5.12.