QUIZ: A pirate puzzle

[Lotana]

A pirate puzzle

Two pirates found a treasure - a chest filled with large number of small but valuable items. Each of the pirates has an idea of how to split the treasure between the two of them in a just way, but as you'd expect their ideas are quite different. But there is a way they could actually split it in a just way. How?

Say cheese

Lotana

 

[tenofdiamonds]

Perhaps they could take turns picking items, until there were none left? But then the first guy may still have a slight advantage....

TOD

 

[Simon]

Just like the kids.

One cuts the cake and the other chooses!

Cheers

 

[Lotana]

Simon is right.

 

[tenofdiamonds]

But if it was me, I wouldn't want to be the divider, I would want to be the chooser. As I have different ideas of which items are the most valuable, then as the chooser, one of the piles may seem heaps better to me (based on the other guys division), so I will end up with more of an advantage in my eyes. No doubt the other guy would feel the same, so neither of us would want to be the divider and give up the potential advantage of choosing.
It is not the same as the cake, as the cake is a uniform consistant thing, where it is just a matter of trying to split the dimensions as equally as possible....

 

[Steve Navra]

Hey TOD,

I dunno about the cake?

All this dividing stuff and then after all of that, well you can't have you cake and eat it, now can you?

So what's the use?

Another thing, well for how long do you suppose the cake hase been in the chest?

Steve

 

[NigelW]

couldn't they just take turns picking for each other?

btw don't you have a business to run Steve?!!?!? that trading system must be pretty darn good if you've got this much time on your hands

 

[asy]

I did this with my kids the other day,

They had a bag of lollies to divide, and were arguing about them.

I told Stephie to divide them, so she started... Then I said to her, now Sasha is going to choose which pile he wants.

She started screaming, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO He will get the bigger pile!!!!

I said, well, you should have been fair and equal in the first place, then there wouldn't BE a bigger pile!!!

I let her think about it for a minute...

Then I helped her divide the piles and let her brother choose them.

It does work!!

And simon is right, it is the only way to do this scenario.!!

asy

 

[Steve Navra]

Hey NW,

American market was a bit up, down, up down last night.
Can you think of anything better to do than weigh balls whilst the tape tickers?

Steve