Can You Figure Out This BrainTeaser?

Question

A banana grower wants to transport his 3000 bananas 1000 miles across the desert to the market.

All he can use is his one camel, which can only carry 1000 bananas at once, but the camel needs to eat one banana to walk one mile (regardless of how many bananas it is carrying).

How many bananas can the grower get to market?

Explain your answer.

Hint 1: The answer is not zero.

Hint 2: It is more than 333.

Hint 4: It is more than 400

Those answering 333, 334 and 400 have the right idea.

The above should be Hint 3, not 4, sorry.

Answer 1

400.

First, he transports 1000 bananas 400 miles. He leaves 200 bananas there and walks back. The camel has traveled 800 miles, so has eaten 800 bananas - poor camel!

He then repeats the operation, ending with 400 bananas 400 miles into the desert. he then transports the last 1000 to the storage location. The camel eats 400 on the way, so the final tally is 1000 bananas 400 miles into the desert.

He then walks the camel the remaining 600 miles to market, taking the 1000 bananas. the camel east 600 on the way.

The banana grower then sells the 400 remaining bananas, and exchanges the camel (who has a very very bad case of diarrhea) for a truck and a full tank of diesel.

The buyer eats the camel and dies from banana poisoning.
------------------------------------------------------
532. Thanks for the hint!

First, he transports 1000 bananas to a staging point 200 miles into the desert. He walks back, transports another thousand, walks back, and transports the final thousand. Now he has a camel 200 miles into the desert, plus 2000 bananas. The camel is thinking "jeez this guy is crazy!".

Next he transports 1000 bananas to a new staging post a further 334 miles, walks back, and transfers the second 1000 to the second staging post. he now has 998 bananas, and 466 miles to go. The camel is beginning to leave a continuous trail of dung.

Finally, he transports the 998 bananas the remaining 466 miles, ending up with 532 bananas to sell, plus one very dehydrated camel.

Answer 2

1. Load 1000 bananas on the camel.

2. Travel 334 miles and deposit 333 bananas at a staging area. (The remaining 333 bananas will be consumed on your return and another banana on arrival.)

3. Of the remaining bananas, pickup another 1000.

4. Travel 334 miles and pickup the 333 bananas. (You now have 999 bananas and 666 miles to go.)

5. You will have 334 bananas when you arrive at your destination. (If you feed your camel another food at your destination.)

Answer 3

He can arrive with 333, here is how he'd do that:

Carry 1000 333 miles (333 bananas eaten)
Deposit 334
Return to pick up next batch (333 bananas eaten)
Repeat (666 more bananas eaten)
Repeat (666 more bananas eaten.)
That leaves 1002 bananas with 667 miles to go.
(He can only carry 1000)
1000 - 667 eaten leaves 333 when he reaches the market.

Answer 4

1= he can load up 1000 bananas, give the camel one before it leaves. Then, the camel eats 999 to go the remaining 999 miles. He'll only have one left when he gets to market. Then, the camel can't return to get the remainder because he'll have no more bananas.

Answer 5

1000

Answer 6

NONE the cAmel eats one every mile and there are 1000 miles and 1000 bananas

Answer 7

none because the camel has to eat 1000 bananas to walk 1000 miles.......am i right?

Answer 8

One. You'd load 1000 on his back and feed him one at the start. He'd burn through 999 getting to market and be stranded with no bananas for the return.

Answer 9

0, not because the camel eats the bananas before he reaches the market, but: where bananas grow, there aren't camels...

Answer 10

None, camels don't eat bananas and they would rot (bananas) before getting to market.