Fun counting math puzzle

[rubah]

I find it ironic that despite not paying attention to the problem I still came rather close to the answer, getting 3206.

Either I'm bad at pen and paper math, or this is just weird.

[edit- I'm just bad at multiplying, that's all. my real answer (wronger than before) is now 3906xD]

[Del Murder]

The program makes it clear as day. That was in my head but it's hard to work out by hand without that nifty modulus function.

[Lindy]

I'm sure by "fun" you mean "I'm going to rape your brain".

I never understood how people could enjoy maths, it must just be one of those things, like how some people enjoy hurting small woodland animals.

P.S. This topic is proof of why ninja are better, pirates are morons who throw away diamonds.

[Miriel]

I'm sure by "fun" you mean "I'm going to rape your brain".

I never understood how people could enjoy maths, it must just be one of those things, like how some people enjoy hurting small woodland animals.

You speak the truth.

[edczxcvbnm]

It isn't math. It is the fun of solving a problem. I also like to harm small woodland animals...

[Xaven]

I'm sure by "fun" you mean "I'm going to rape your brain".

I never understood how people could enjoy maths, it must just be one of those things, like how some people enjoy hurting small woodland animals.

But math is fun!

...I'm sad now. :kaocry:

[Doomie]

I'm not quite sure what the problem is asking, nor am I sure how to get to that solution. Someone tone it down, kthx.

[Xaven]

I'm not quite sure what the problem is asking, nor am I sure how to get to that solution. Someone tone it down, kthx.

They're asking 'How many diamonds did the pirates start out with?'.

5 pirates find some treasure (a bunch of diamonds). Oblivious to eachother, they each divide the pile into five and take their share, BUT there's always one diamond left over (eg, 31 diamonds divided by five equals 6, with a remainder of 1). They toss the extra diamond overboard. Okay, so after the first pirate takes his share and tosses the extra diamond, the second pirate does the same, not knowing that the Pirate 1 already took his share! (Pirates 2-5 all get screwed) This happens until all 5 pirates have taken one fifth of the pile away, each time with one left over.

As for solving it, there's their big, fancy, BORING way, and my UN-BORING way. Your choice.

[Doomie]

I didn't understand both. but I was using a calculator which gave me decimals, which may be why I didn't understand it. Thanks a bunch. ;]

[Dr Unne]

This is also sadly brute-forcish:

#!/usr/bin/ruby

def find_num(x, try, max)
    # Output intermediary steps if you want
    # puts "#{x},#{try},#{max}"
    return false if x % 5 != 1
    return true if try == max
    return x if find_num( (x-1) * 4/5, try+1, max)
end

1.upto(99999999999) do |x|
    if(ans = find_num(x, 1, 5))
        puts "Answer: #{ans}"
        break
    end
end

Assuming this program works (and I have no idea if it does) you can figure out an arbitrary number of pirates greater than 1. The answer to 8 pirates is (SPOILER)390621. The answer to 9 pirates is (SPOILER)1953121. The answer to 10 pirates is (SPOILER)9765621. This program appears to take exponentially more time as you increase the number of pirates linearly, which means it's a sucky algorithm. 11 pirates would take many minutes to solve.

[Treize]

sorry to tell u guys this but the least possble # is 1 because theres more then 1 dimoned(i cant spell good) in the chest to start with so thats the least possble # i think?

[Del Murder]

So the other pirates divide up nothing?

[Xaven]

sorry to tell u guys this but the least possble # is 1 because theres more then 1 dimoned(i cant spell good) in the chest to start with so thats the least possble # i think?

Nope.

It says they throw the extra diamond overboard. If there was 1 diamond and it was discarded by Pirate 1, then what would Pirates 2, 3, 4, 5 throw overboard? It says they all throw 1 extra diamond overboard.

[Flying Mullet]

I ended up with 3906 too.

1*5 +1 = 6
6 * 5 + 1 = 31
31 * 5 + 1 = 156
156 * 5 + 1 = 781
781 * 5 + 1 = 3906

[Dr Unne]

3906 is the answer to the problem where the pirate divides the diamonds into 5 piles, takes 4 of the piles and leaves 1 pile behind.