Brain Game: Bridge for Four
There are few things less fun than having your car conk out in the middle of a rural area when it's dark and cloudy (even if you do have AAA roadside assistance). Here's a puzzle about four women who get stuck in that situation:
Four women are in a car that runs out of gas very late one night. For safety's sake, they decide toÂ abandon the carÂ as a group, since they have only one flashlight between them. They see a light on at a nearby farmhouse, but none of the women want to approach it alone.
In order to reach the house, they mustÂ make their way across a creaky old footbridgeÂ thatÂ will support the weight of no more than twoÂ of themÂ at a time.Â The womenÂ must carry the flashlight while crossing the bridge, because it's dark and very difficult to see.
AndreaÂ is the slowest; it takes her ten minutes to traverse the bridge. Barbara can do it in five minutes, Carolyn can make it inÂ two minutes, and speedy Delilah can cross in only one minute. Of course, if two of the women cross simultaneously, they do so at the slower woman's pace.
Can you figure out a way to get all four women across the bridge in onlyÂ 17 minutes?
HERE is the solution.