Suppose I Have Three Bags, One with Two Peaches, Another

question 49

Essay

Suppose I have three bags, one with two peaches, another with two plums, and a third mixed bag with one peach and one plum. Now I give the bags (in mixed-up order) to Alice, Betty, and Connie. I tell the three to look into their bags and that I want each to make a statement about the contents of her bag, but I want them to lie. Here is what they say:
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Alice : I have two peaches.
Betty : I have two plums.
Connie : I have one peach and one plum.
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Now here is the game. I want you to develop a strategy of asking one of the three to reach into their bag and pull out one fruit and show it to you. The fruit is then returned to the bag and you ask another to do the same thing. Continue until you can deduce which bag is the mixed bag. What is the minimum possible number of necessary moves? Explain.

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Definitions:

Break-even Analysis

A financial calculation to determine the point at which a business, product, or project will become profitable, by equating total revenues with total costs.

Single Product

Referring to businesses or production processes that focus on the manufacture or sale of one specific product.

Redesign

The process of changing or modifying the design of a product, service, or system to improve functionality or aesthetics.