Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/17/84; site think.ARPA
Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!harvard!think!ejb
From: ejb@think.ARPA (Erik Bailey)
Newsgroups: net.puzzle
Subject: *** The infamous PIRATE PROBLEM ***
Message-ID: <3187@think.ARPA>
Date: Fri, 25-Oct-85 22:15:23 EST
Article-I.D.: think.3187
Posted: Fri Oct 25 22:15:23 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 31-Oct-85 04:44:02 EST
Reply-To: ejb@godot.UUCP (Erik Bailey)
Distribution: net
Organization: Thinking Machines, Cambridge, MA
Lines: 42

This is known (to me, my friends, teachers, and father) as the
infamous 'PIRATE PROBLEM'. It goes something like this...

A group of pirates in a ship land on an island (shape is irrelavent;
anything will work) with intent to bury their recently aquired booty.
They figure that they will use a method, instead of a map to bury their
treasure. This island is completely barren, except for two odd, distinct
landmarks: Devil's Rock, and the Dark Forest. One man holding some of
the treasure walks in a straight line to Devil's Rock, noting the distance
that he walks. Another man holding the rest of the treasure walks to the
Dark Forest, he also noting the distance that he walks. When each man
reaches his landmark, they each turn 90 degrees and proceed away from their
landmark the same distance that they each walked from the boat. When they
reach these new positions, they decide that they will bury the treasure
on the midpoint of the line segment that their positions now represent.

        ... That was the easy part. Now the puzzle ...

PROVE (ie formal geometric proof) that regardless of where they land on
the island, provided that there is no earthquake (causing the landmarks
to move...), they will bury the treasure in EXACTLY the same place.

GOOD LUCK!! (It can be done! [Heh heh heh...])

BTW - A little side note: This problem appeared in chapter * ONE * of my
      father's FRESHMAN (high school) geometry book! He finaly solved
      it about 6 months ago...
-- 
Erik Bailey
_  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _
 -_ -_ -_ -_ -_ -_ -_ -_ -_ -_ -_ -_ -_ -_ -_ -_ -_ -_ -_ -_ -_ -_ -_ -_

Erik Bailey        -- 7 Oak Knoll                (USENET courtesy of
ihnp4!godot!ejb       Arlington, MA  02174        Thinking Machines Corp.
ejb@think.com.arpa    (617) 643-0732              Cambridge, MA)

     "What is the most enforced law in the world?"
                                                   "Murphy's."

                       ** FREEWARE FOREVER **
  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _
_- _- _- _- _- _- _- _- _- _- _- _- _- _- _- _- _- _- _- _- _- _- _- _-