Are you a math whiz?

[Redneckryder]

Draw a circle. divide the circle into even portions pizza style, lets go with 8 slices. label each dividing line with a letter. on top is HOME, which would be letter "A", and continue from there clockwise.


this is a planet. Circumferance is 200 miles. "home" is the only island. they made 3 planes, but each plane only holds 100 miles worth of fuel at a time. unlimited and instantanious ground to air and air to air refueling, but air to air, you are giving up your supply. like if one plane has a full tank, one has an empty, plane A can give plane B half a tank, but that drops plane A to half tank too. get one plane all the way around the planet, and get all 3 back home safe--they drown if they land in water. tell me your moves by using the lettered lines.

 

[Mark_88]

Simple...

But don't need lines...plane A and plane B start out flying (say) east...at 33 miles out, plane A gives plane B 1/3 of a tank and heads back home...that gives plane B a full tank again...so plane B continues on flying east for another 100 miles...making 133...

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, plane A and C refuel...they fly WEST this time out to the 33.3 mile mark and plane C gives plane A 1/3 of a tank then heads back to fill up again...Plane A then needs to fly only 66.6 miles to meet plane B at the 133.6 mile mark...and give plane B 1/6 of a tank...enough for them both to make it back to the 150 mile mark...

Plane C then comes back to meet them both at the 50 mile (west) mark where A and B are just about out of fuel...

Plane C, knowing that there is only one girl on the island flashes them the finger and turns around to get the girl and watches them as they crash into the water...



The pilot of plane C also designed the planes with this limitation just so he could do this and get rid of his competion...

OK...now that I've proven I have no mathematical skills...I'll wait for the real answer...

 

[Roadkill]

Fly around the pole, CW or CCW doesn't matter. Plenty of fuel left to land and do the trip even more times.

 

[MAKG]

You don't need three planes. You can do it with two.

Plane 1 and plane 2 both take off from home and fly 50 miles (say, clockwise). Plane 2 tops off plane 1 and returns home. Plane 1 flies 100 miles where it is met by plane 2 with a fresh load of fuel. Both planes go the remaining 50 miles home. Plane 3 stays at home the whole time collecting dust.

 

[Redneckryder]

wow----mark....my head hurt trying to do all that math......you are missing a crucial .6 of a mile that is gonna kill the pilot.

road kill......uummmmmm.........well, not what i was trying for.

mike, your wrong. you just killed 2 pilots.

 

[Redneckryder]

but air to air, you are giving up your supply. like if one plane has a full tank, one has an empty, plane A can give plane B half a tank, but that drops plane A to half tank too.

if plane a flies 50 miles, it needs the rest of his gas to fly home, so he cant give any away

 

[MAKG]

if plane a flies 50 miles, it needs the rest of his gas to fly home, so he cant give any away

Yup, got it.

 

[triumphrider-1]

Ok, the photo below is what I have. It works, but under the assumption that plane two is at point G when plane one runs out of fuel.

On step three plane one fly from C to G passing thru points D, E, and F, but it does not matter since it is a sphere. On step four only plane 3 flies out, since two isn't back yet.

 

[Redneckryder]

how many originally fly out in step 1?

 

[triumphrider-1]

plane 1 and plane 2.

 

[MAKG]

Then plane 1 has to slow WAY down at step 2.

Mark_88 has the solution if you change "33" to "100/3."

And you don't have little details like climb/descent and fuel reserve.

 

[triumphrider-1]

Not necessarily. It would still work, just have to modify it a little.

All three planes would have to leave from point A at the same time.

As plane 1 flies to point C plane 2 is flying to A, while plane three is enroute to refill plane one at C. Once plane 1 has been refueled, plane 3 heads back to point B to be refueled by plane 2 (who is back enroute to point B after refueling at A. After which both fly back to A, then continue the other steps.

 

[Redneckryder]

ok---going to work now. be back tomorrow

 

[Redneckryder]

for the answer, look in general discussions "answer to plane problem"

 

[Redneckryder]

and also, i was looking at your info on the board, somethin else caught my eye.......

if the circumference is 200 miles, the diameter is only 63 and some change, which makes the radius 31 and some change.