Apple Cider
Math brain teasers require computations to solve.
A customer arrives at an apple cider farm with a five gallon container and asks the farmer to put four gallons of his finest cider into it. Unfortunately, the only measure the farmer has is a three gallon jug. Can you think of a way that the farmer can measure out exactly four gallons of cider using just these two containers?
Answer
First, fill up the three gallon jug. Pour the three gallons into the five gallon container. Refill the three gallon jug and once again pour it into the five gallon container until it is full. The three gallon jug now contains one gallon. Empty the five gallon container back into the storage tank and then pour the one gallon of cider into it. Now, fill the three gallon jug up again and pour it into the customer`s five gallon container. The container will now contain the desired four gallons.
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Comments
(user deleted)
Feb 02, 2001
| I think there`s a answer that takes fewer steps. |
Jake   
Mar 01, 2001
| Im not sure if its any faster, but you could fill the 5 gallon container and pour it into the 3 gallon container. There are now 2 gallons in the big container. Give this to the customer and repeat the process to get 4 gallons. |
(user deleted)
Nov 07, 2001
| this is not the only soloution.
you can fill the 5 gallon, then use it to fill the three. this gives you 2 gallons.
pour those two into the (emptied) 3 gallon jug. fill the 5 gallon jug then pour a single gallon out into the 3 gallon jug. this fills the 3 gallon jug leaving 4 gallons in the larger jug |
captbob61
Mar 27, 2002
| Why do you get to pour back into the "storage bin"? The riddle says you only get to use two containers. |
bluetwo
May 19, 2004
| ah yes, also in Die Hard 4 with Bruce Willis and Samuel L Jackson |
canu
Jul 13, 2004
| 1) In reply to the comment of captbob61:
"Why do you get to pour back into the "storage bin"? The riddle says you only get to use two containers"
-- If you can't use the storage bin, you can't pour OUT of it either, and there's no answer to a trivial teaser.
2) The solution hinted at by dragon, proposed by jake, and repeated by PeterA, takes 6 steps, 2 less than the teaser-maker's solution. |
darthforman 
May 18, 2005
|  |
PENANDINK
Aug 24, 2005
| I saw this in Die Hard 4 |
nkatha23
Nov 09, 2005
| Same answer as Jake. |
paintballa944
Nov 12, 2005
| Very cool. |
hidentreasure
Nov 29, 2005
| I heard this one before and knew the answer.   |
edward_collins
Nov 30, 2005
| we have all seen die hard with a trilogy |
stephiesd
Dec 14, 2005
| i like these types of teasers.
YAY!!! |
mr_brainiac
Jan 04, 2006
| There has to be a separate storage bin that wasn't counted as one of the "only" containers, or else the farmer would not have had more than his own three gallon bucket full of cider available and not been able to sell the guy four gallons. That sort of seems like a given. Peter A's method worked for me. |
jj_is_cool
Mar 29, 2006
| wattever  |
tonjawithaj
Apr 28, 2006
| I used PeterAs method too... |
tca2
May 04, 2006
| But the farmer measured 1 gallon and put it into the 5gallon container. Why couldn't the farmer just do that 4 times? I think the farmer took a back road. |
banzai
Jun 19, 2006
| never watched the die hard movies. came up with solution. thank you. |
Unraveled
Jun 25, 2006
| I don't think the "Fill the 5 gallon, pour into 3 gallon, repeat" works, because where would you store the first 2 gallons? You can't keep it in the 5 gallon - how would you repeat? Same with the 3 gallon. And if you put it into the storage, it'd get mixed (duh). The farmer only has those 2 containers with him (and the storage tank), so there'd be no place to put it. |
kayleeskitties
Jul 09, 2006
| I think I'd just give the customer 1 gallon free.....save all the pouring.
Good teaser  I didn't get it, lol. |
rrn0rrnrrnY
Sep 08, 2006
| Many people must remember this from the movie, because I have read this before, not always cider, but always a liquid. Classic. |
foraneagle2
Oct 04, 2006
| This was exactly the level of puzzle that I had to struggle with and overcome. PeterA's way, no doubt. |
Stormcrafter
Nov 07, 2006
| Rrn0rrn - I first found this puzzle in the movie Die Hard with a Vengeance
I am still new to this site, but I submitted a correction with the alternate solution - but said to disregard if it was more being pedantic than anything, which it may have been :-\
But it was good to find another solution - great teaser |
Alex722
May 21, 2007
| Great Job! Muchos Gracias!
♥Alex♥ |
Waka 
Jan 08, 2011
| 0 3
3 0
3 3
5 1
0 1
1 0
1 3
4 0
I followed the path shown in the answer. |
SRB_1807 
Aug 17, 2011
| yo baby i did it ... |
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