The loaves and the coins
✓ With solution
Two travellers share their bread with a hungry guest, who leaves them 12 coins. What is the fair split?
On a long journey, Karim had 7 loaves of bread and Tariq had 5. A third traveller with no food joined them, and the three of them ate all 12 loaves, sharing them equally. When he left, the guest gave them 12 coins to pay for the bread he had eaten.
How should Karim and Tariq share the coins fairly?
- AKarim 7, Tariq 5
- BKarim 6, Tariq 6
- CKarim 8, Tariq 4
- DKarim 9, Tariq 3
Show the answer
Answer: D) Karim 9, Tariq 3. Each of the three ate 4 loaves, because 12 ÷ 3 = 4. The guest paid 12 coins for 4 loaves, which is 3 coins a loaf. Karim ate 4 of his own 7 loaves and gave the guest 3, so he should get 3 × 3 = 9 coins. Tariq ate 4 of his 5 and gave the guest just 1, so he should get 3 coins. Splitting 7 and 5 looks fair, but the guest didn't pay for all the bread, only for the part he ate.
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