A puzzle by Sam Loyd:
John the milkman has two 10-gallon cans full of milk. Two customers have a 5- and a 4-quart measure and want 2 quarts put into each measure. How can he accomplish this?
“It is a juggling trick pure and simple, devoid of trick or device, but it calls for much cleverness to get two exact quarts of milk into those measures employing no receptacles of any kind except the two measures and the two full cans.”
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Call one of the 10-gallon cans A and the other B.
Fill the 5-quart pail from can A.
Pour the 5-quart pail into the 4-quart pail.
Empty the 4-quart pail into can A.
Pour the 5-quart pail into the 4-quart pail.
Fill the 5-quart pail from can A.
Fill the 4-quart pail from the 5-quart pail.
Empty the 4-quart pail into can A.
Fill the 4-quart pail from can B.
Pour the 4-quart pail into can A.
This fills can A and leaves 2 quarts in the 4-quart pail. “Thus the milkman has supplied each of his customers with exactly two quarts of milk and solved his perplexing problem.”
From Loyd’s Cyclopedia of Puzzles, 1914. See also Well Done.
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