A Riddle

Lonnie Portwood · From: Jacksonville, fl. USA

Farmer Jones has a field with X number of goats in it, and so does his neighbor, mr Smith. If Jones gave one of his goats to Smith, smith would have twice as may goats as Jones. On the hand, if Smith had given one of his goats to Jones, they both would have the same number. How many goats did each have to begin with? Lonnie P.

Jay Fagerlie · From: Lotus, California, USA

Jeeze Lonnie.......

My brain hurts!

And I still don't have the answer.....

Jim Smith · From: Midlothian, TX, USA

Well, if Smith and Jones both had X goats, there is no way that giving one to the other would result in them both having the same number. However one answer is that they each had X goats to begin with!

Jim Smith · From: Midlothian, TX, USA

Let Jones = j and Smith = s. Based on the problem description, we know that:

s + 1  = 2(j - 1)     (equation 1)


s - 1  = j + 1        (equation 2)


 


(1) - (2) => 2 = j - 3

Answer: Jones (j) has 5 and Smith (s) has 7.

Lonnie Portwood · From: Jacksonville, fl. USA

Very Good!!guys! really very simple. One tends to imagine a trick question, and looking for the "hook", forgets to concentrate on the basics. I passed 10th grade algebra with a D-, so I respect talent when I see it. Lonnie P.

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