A box of
treasure, consisting principally of jewels and precious stones, was
stolen from a Castle. The thieves consisted of a man, a youth, and a
small boy, whose only mode of escape with the box of treasure was by
means of a high window. Outside the window was fixed a pulley, over
which ran a rope with a basket at each end. When one basket was on the
ground the other was at the window. The rope was so disposed that the
persons in the basket could neither help themselves by means of it nor
receive help from others. In short, the only way the baskets could be
used was by placing a heavier weight in one than in the other.
Now, the man
weighed 195 lbs., the youth 105 lbs., the boy 90 lbs., and the box of
treasure 75 lbs. The weight in the descending basket could not exceed
that in the other by more than 15 lbs. without causing a descent so
rapid as to be most dangerous to a human being, though it would not
injure the stolen property. Only two persons, or one person and the
treasure, could be placed in the same basket at one time. How did they
all manage to escape and take the box of treasure with them?
The puzzle is to find the shortest way
of performing the feat.
PUZZLE # 2:
Where on earth
can you be so that you can walk 1 mile south, then
1 mile east, and
then 1 mile north and end up at the starting point?