A Math Question

[Nedersong]

Let's say you're on a ship that has a crew of 5,000 people. It has enough food and supplies to last those 5000 people for six months. The ship encounters a spatial anomaly and leaves only 4 people while everybody else has vanished.

How long would those foodstuffs and supplies last for those four people?

And how would I figure that out for different amounts of crew and foodstuffs and supplies, for example say a crew of three hundred for 4 months with 2 people left?

 

[Lindley]

Well, assuming the food doesn't spoil (which would impose a maximum supply limit), each person now has 5000/4 times more food and supplies allotted to them.

This is sixth grade stuff, though. What's the confusion?

 

[Nedersong]

I'm dyslexic so I get my numbers confused from time to time.

 

[Starseeker]

7500 days, isn't it?

 

[Jamaica Jive]

1/1250 is the amount of the total food and supplies the 4 people would consume in 6 months.

4/5000 = 1/1250

The food and supplies are divided into 1,250 even sized portions with each portion consumed by the 4 people in 6 months. 2 portions consumed in 1 year, therefore, 1,250/2, the total food and supplies would last the 4 people 625 years, assuming their life span is that long.

 

[Lindley]

An alternative line of reasoning:

If there's enough to feed 5000 people for six months, then clearly you could feed 2500 people for 1 year----or alternatively, 1 person for 2500 years.

Four people, therefore, could eat for 2500/4 = 625 years.

 

[scottydog]

Would the food keep that long?

 

[Smiley]

Would the food keep that long?

Twinkies might. Just ask WALL-E's pet cockroach.

 

[USS KG5]

Would the food keep that long?

With any modern technology - no.

It is fairly irrelevant to the problem but even canned food deteriorates over time, so even before the can rusts away (which it would after 625 years in contact with normal air) the food would spoil.

But I think we can safely assume here that we have a future miracle preservation process that keeps food indefinitely, and the 625 year figure is what I got too.

 

[Hofner]

Forget about whether the food can last 625 years or not. Is it possible for 4,996 people to vanish in a spatial anomaly?

Sorry, I apologize; couldn't resist. And to actually be useful here, I'll answer the second scenario:

(300pre-anomaly people/2 post-anomaly people)*4 months of food = 600 months or 50 years.

Robert

 

[Jadzia]

It takes two hours to walk from the village to the worksite, and each workman leaves home at sunrise and returns home at sunset, 12 hours later. All workmen are equal in their walking speed and working speed. If it takes three men from the village three full work days to dig three holes, then how many days will it take two men to dig five holes, assuming that one of these workmen lives twice as far from the village to the worksite than the other man, yet leaves and returns home at the same time: sunrise and sunset.

Does the man living furthest from the worksite need to go to work on the last day? Or will the job be finished before he gets there. He wants to book his holidays and needs to know when he'll finish.

 

[Gaius Baltar]

12 - 4 = 8 hours work per person per day

3 holes = 3x8 = 24 hours

1 hole = 8 hours

5 holes = 40 hours work total

2 people = 8 + 4 = 12 hours work per day (1 person spends twice as much time walking)

no days= 40 / 12 = 3.33 to complete

 

[Jadzia]

only slightly longer than more (3 men>2 men) doing less work (3 holes<5 holes) then

do we all agree with Gaius?

 

[Gaius Baltar]

Just noticed a mistake with my previous answer forgot to multiply the 8 by 3 twice rather than once. The answer should be 10 days.

12 - 4 = 8 hours work per person per day
3 people per day = 3 x 8 = 24 work per day
3 days = 24 * 3 = 72 hours work in total for 3 holes
1 hole = 24 hours work
5 holes = 24 * 5 = 120 hours work total
2 people = 8 + 4 = 12 hours work per day (1 person spends twice as much time walking 8 hours travelling rather than 4)
no days= 120 / 12 = 10 days to complete work

 

[Jadzia]

yeyy \o/

well done Gaius