Wolf, goat, and cabbage river crossing

Question

A farmer needs to bring a wolf, a goat, and a cabbage across a river. His boat holds only himself and one of the three items at a time. The catch: - If left alone together (without the farmer), the wolf eats the goat. - If left alone together, the goat eats the cabbage. - The wolf has no interest in the cabbage. How does the farmer get all three across safely?

Accepted Answer

The insight is that the boat can carry items back as well as forward. The goat is involved in both conflicts, so it must be shuttled carefully. A 7-step solution (F = far side gains the item): 1. Take the goat across. (Near side: wolf + cabbage, safe, wolf ignores cabbage.) 2. Return empty. 3. Take the wolf across. (Far side now has wolf + goat, not safe alone, so…) 4. Bring the goat back. (Far side: wolf alone. Near side: goat + cabbage, not safe alone, so…), the goat rides back with the farmer, so nothing is left unsupervised improperly during transit; the trick is what you leave. 5. Take t…

Wolf, goat, and cabbage river crossing

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