MHB Math puzzle: getting 2L from 3L and 4L containers

  • Thread starter Thread starter burgess
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Puzzle
Click For Summary
To measure 2 liters of milk using a 4-liter and a 3-liter container, first fill the 3-liter container completely. Pour the milk from the 3-liter container into the 4-liter container, leaving 3/4 liter in the 4-liter container. Refill the 3-liter container and pour again into the 4-liter container, but only 1 liter can be added due to the existing 3/4 liter. This leaves exactly 2 liters of milk in the 3-liter container. The method effectively utilizes both containers to achieve the desired measurement.
burgess
Messages
23
Reaction score
0
If you have one 4 liter container and one 3 liter container how do you measure 2 liter of milk by using them?

Please explain in detail
 
Mathematics news on Phys.org
burgess said:
If you have one 4 liter container and one 3 liter container how do you measure 2 liter of milk by using them?

Please explain in detail

You could fill the 3 liter container with milk.
Then pour the milk into the 4 liter container, which contains now 3/4 liter milk.
Fill the 3 liter container again with milk.
Then pour again the milk into the 4 liter container, you can only pour 1 liter milk into the 4 liter container because it already contains 3/4 liter milk.
So in the 3 liter container is 2 liter of milk left.
 
mathmari said:
You could fill the 3 liter container with milk.
Then pour the milk into the 4 liter container, which contains now 3/4 liter milk.
Fill the 3 liter container again with milk.
Then pour again the milk into the 4 liter container, you can only pour 1 liter milk into the 4 liter container because it already contains 3/4 liter milk.
So in the 3 liter container is 2 liter of milk left.

Thanks for the solution :)
 
Here is a little puzzle from the book 100 Geometric Games by Pierre Berloquin. The side of a small square is one meter long and the side of a larger square one and a half meters long. One vertex of the large square is at the center of the small square. The side of the large square cuts two sides of the small square into one- third parts and two-thirds parts. What is the area where the squares overlap?

Similar threads

  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
2K
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
3K
  • · Replies 142 ·
5
Replies
142
Views
9K
  • · Replies 7 ·
Replies
7
Views
3K
  • · Replies 10 ·
Replies
10
Views
12K
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
2K
Replies
4
Views
2K
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
2K
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
2K
  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
3K