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A Lost and Hungry Vagabond

The Puzzler

RAY: Here's the answer. Each of the three men ate an equal amount of bread. There were eight loaves so each guy ate two and two-thirds loaves.

TOM: Exactly.

RAY: The traveler who started with three loaves ate two and two-thirds loaves, too. In fact he ate most of his own bread. He contributed only one third of a loaf to the vagabond. The other guy, the one who had the five loaves to start off with, he also ate two and two-thirds loaves and contributed two and one-third loaves to the hungry traveler. So that's how the coins should have been divided in the ratio of seven thirds.

TOM: Yeah.

RAY: Or two and a third to one-third, or seven to one. So the guy who said the division was not fair was right. In fact, he should have received only one coin while the other guy received seven coins.

TOM: Exactly.

RAY: Do we have a winner?

TOM: Our winner this week is Sarah Taylor from Marlborough, Massachusetts. And for having her answer selected at random from among all the correct answers that we got, Sarah's going to get a $26 gift certificate to the Shameless Commerce Division at, with which she can get a copy of our brand-new CD of disrespectful car music called Stairway to Heapdom.

RAY: Congratulations, Sarah!

[ Car Talk Puzzler ]

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