Puzzle 7 and 8

[kunal naidu]

Hi all,

Both the following puzzles were asked in the FinMechanics placement Test on Sunday. Do give them a shot...they are not very difficult

Q. You are blindfolded and are sitting in front af a table. On the table are many coins. Out of them, you are told that exactly 26 coins have "heads" facing up. Now you have to divide the coins into 2 groups such that both groups have the same number of coins having "heads" facing up. You cannot find out the side of the coin by feeling it with your fingers. Devise a strategy for this

Q. A person is under medication of pills A and B. He needs to take one pill each, everyday to survive. If he does not take one pill each, everyday, he will die. Also, if he takes more than one pill of the same type any day, he will die. He has a bottle each for the 2 types of pills. Now the 2 types of pills look exactly alike. While taking the pills out of the bottle, he accidently drops 2 pills of type B and one of pill A on the table. Now, the man does not know which pill is type B and which is type A since they look alike. He is poor and cannot afford to throw the pills away. Can you find a way by which he will be able to take his medication that day, without any wastage and without any dire consequences.

Will be posting the solution to the puzzle 6 aka camel problem soon....btw the answer for that is 533.

Do not post the answers on the group or mail them to me. I will post the solutions soon myself

Regards

Kunal Naidu

Fianl Year Undergraduate

IIT Bombay