Propositiones ad Acuendos Juvenes/Problems/19 - De Viro et Muliere Ponderantibus Plaustrum

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Propositiones ad Acuendos Juvenes by Alcuin of York: Problem $19$

De Viro et Muliere Ponderantibus Plaustrum
A Very Heavy Man and Woman
A man and a woman, each the weight of a cartload,
with two children who together weigh as much as a cartload,
must cross a river.
They find a boat which can only take one cartload.
Make the transfer if you can, without sinking the boat.


Solution

In order:

The two children cross the river.
One child returns with the boat.
One of the parents crosses.
The other child takes the boat back.
Both children cross the river again.
One child returns with the boat.
The other parent crosses.
The other child returns with the boat.
The two children cross the river one final time.
"With such ingenious rowing the navigation may be completed without shipwreck."


Also presented as

Another version of this problem is that there are two unrelated children that the man and woman meet on the shore.

The two children wish to remain on their side of the river, with the boat.

The solution works in the same way as this.


Sources

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