Think you can do sums? work this out.

[Marvin]

A traveller is stranded without any cash or credit cards in an out-of-the-way place. He sends for some money, but is told it will take a month to reach him. The only item of value he has is a gold chain consisting of thirty one links. He finds a boarding house to stay at while he awaits his money, and the owner agrees to let him stay if he is paid a gold link a day as security. Now the gold chain has great sentimental value to the traveller, and he doesn't want to destroy it, but the landlord insists on being paid one gold link a day, won't accept payment in advance, or give credit. What is the smallest number of links the traveller has to cut during his month's enforced stay at the guest house?

 

[404]

28 maybe. Nope 14.

28 days is shortest month. If he gives the 2 gold links at midnight every other day he will never owe or be owed a link

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[brown240]

30


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[mrman]

0

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[mrman]

Question is how many links need to be cut. Links don't need to be cut.

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[404]

7 is my final offer

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[Marvin]

He actually only has to cut three links, and if the chain was just over twice as long (63 links) he could hold out for nine weeks by still only cutting three links! Can anyone work out how? (No tricks here, like borrowing links, or imagining them; simple mathematics, no computers needed.)