A simple framework, a clear difficulty and an exit that seems almost obvious when it has already been seen: these are the best distribution problems of the Arab tradition.
The inheritance of the 17 camels (Arab tradition)
Riddle statement
A father leaves 17 camels to his three sons with these conditions:
- the eldest receives \(1/2\);
- to the second, \(1/3\);
- to the minor, \(1/9\).
It is not allowed to split any camel.
How can the distribution be made respecting the will?
Show solution
Solution
Answer: A camel is temporarily added to work on 18.
Explanation:
With 18 camels, the requested distribution comes out in full:
the oldest gets half: 9;
the second, a third: 6;
the youngest, a ninth: 2.
The 17 original camels are distributed without dividing any, and the added camel is removed at the end.
The key is that external help does not alter the inheritance: it only makes visible a decomposition that was already implicit in the will.