You've got someone working for you for seven days and a gold
bar to pay them. The gold bar is segmented into seven
connected pieces. You must give them a piece of gold at the
end of every day. If you are only allowed to make two breaks
in the gold bar, how do you pay your worker?
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Answer / ben
Md Abdul Aziz is on the right track...
Cut it into 3 part where the parts are 1, 2 and 4 segments long.
Day 1 - Give 1 segment bar
Day 2 - Give 2 segment bar ask for 1 segment bar back
Day 3 - Give 1 segment bar
Day 4 - Give 4 segment bar ask for 1 + 2 back
Day 5 - Give 1 segment bar
Day 6 - Give 2 segment bar ask for 1 segment bar back
Day 7 - Give 1 segment bar
| Is This Answer Correct ? | 250 Yes | 9 No |
Answer / amar damani
i will make two breaks making one, two & four,
day one: one
day two: take one give two
day three: give one again
day four: give four & take three (two + one)
day five: give one
day six: take on give two
day seven: give one
| Is This Answer Correct ? | 14 Yes | 1 No |
Answer / geoffrey
Or you could just ask the worker to break it. the question
states that YOU can't break it more than twice, it doesn't
say that it can't be broken more than twice.
| Is This Answer Correct ? | 21 Yes | 10 No |
Answer / jb
There's an issue with the standard/"correct" answer of
breaking into 1, 2 and 4 segment blocks, which is; what
happens if the worker spends some of his pay after being
given it?
Depending what's being looked for, a correct answer could
be a wrong one. Most intelligent people should be able to
work out the algorithm, but in doing so show that they lack
consideration of the real world; i.e. that pay is there to
be spent.
| Is This Answer Correct ? | 7 Yes | 1 No |
Answer / vikas
Break it into
1 bar piece
2 bar piece
4 bar piece
with 2 breaks as stated.
Day bars with worker | paid on day | bars with me |
Count remaming
1, 2, 4
7
1 1 1 2, 4
6
2 2 2 1, 4
5
3 1,2 1 4
4
4 4 4 1,2
3
5 4,1 1 2
2
6 4,2 2 1
1
7 4,2,1 1 none
none
| Is This Answer Correct ? | 13 Yes | 8 No |
Answer / observer
I'm with Geoffrey. At the end of each day during the 7 day
period ask the worker to break off 1 piece of the 7 pieces
until the wprk period has ended. That would solve the
problem of not being able to break it 2 times yourself. I
think the key to this riddle is in the "if". You're the
boss; make the worker "work" for his pay.
| Is This Answer Correct ? | 5 Yes | 0 No |
Answer / vikas
Break it into
1 bar piece
2 bar piece
4 bar piece
with 2 breaks as stated.
Day bars | paid | bars | Count remaming
with on with
worker day me
1, 2, 4 7
1 1 1 2, 4 6
2 2 2 1, 4 5
3 1,2 1 4 4
4 4 4 1,2 3
5 4,1 1 2 2
6 4,2 2 1 1
7 4,2,1 1 none none
| Is This Answer Correct ? | 8 Yes | 6 No |
Answer / david
Well, what's the point if the worker spends the first piece
of gold bar on day 1 itself? After all he is getting paid
at EOD and he has to spend it to meet his needs. ;)
| Is This Answer Correct ? | 1 Yes | 0 No |
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