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17 horses
A farmer bequeathed his three sons 17 horses. The will states that the eldest son should get half of the horses, the middle son one-third, and the youngest son one-ninth. The sons were not able to divide the horses as the result was coming in fractions. A wise man came to the village with his horse and proposed a solution with which all the sons got their share without harming any horse. What was the advice given and how the group of horses was divided?
The wise man brought with him another horse, which he added to those in the stable, making a new sum of eighteen horses. In accordance with the farmer’s will, he then gave the eldest son half of them (9 horses), the middle son a third (6 horses), and the youngest son one-ninth (2 horses). This made a total of seventeen horses, which meant that one horse was left over for the wise man to return home.
17 horses
A farmer bequeathed his three sons 17 horses. The will states that the eldest son should get half of the horses, the middle son one-third, and the youngest son one-ninth. The sons were not able to divide the horses as the result was coming in fractions. A wise man came to the village with his horse and proposed a solution with which all the sons got their share without harming any horse. What was the advice given and how the group of horses was divided?
The wise man brought with him another horse, which he added to those in the stable, making a new sum of eighteen horses. In accordance with the farmer’s will, he then gave the eldest son half of them (9 horses), the middle son a third (6 horses), and the youngest son one-ninth (2 horses). This made a total of seventeen horses, which meant that one horse was left over for the wise man to return home.
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