[albertjohnson]

It is the year 2010 and TSHHTF. You are an 81 year old wise farmer with only one milk cow named Betsy. She is an odd cow though, who can only walk forward and turn right. She cannot turn left nor walk backwards.

You have to walk into town 4 miles away to trade some cans of spam for an extra can opener that you want to trade to your neighbor for some blueberries, and will be gone all day. Betsy needs to eat and you want her to eat the grass all around the barn so she will continue to give good milk. But you do not want her to wander off. So you need to stake her somewhere so that she will not be able to walk off but stay near the barn. So you tie a 100 foot rope to her neck and tie a wooden stake at the end of the rope and then you ponder where to stake her. The barn is 50 feet by 50 feet, a square barn, with only a front door.

If you stake her at one corner of the barn, she will walk 50 feet straight, then turn right and walk another 50 feet and be stuck at that corner of the barn, as she cannot turn left to go back and cannot walk backwards. So she is stuck, having only eaten half way around the barn.

But being you are a wise old farmer, you suddenly think of a place to stake her and she will be able to eat completely all around the barn, all 200 feet of the perimeter, without being able to wander away from the barn.
Where did you stake her?

 

[Farm boy]

I would stake all 800 lbs of her hanging in the freezer ::

 

[Brew]

You don't stake her. If your a wise old farmer you lock the gate and let her wander around on her own. Otherwise your a city slicker with a cow a rope and a stake. What do you care if she can only turn right? That why farmers have fences. Otherwise leave her in the barn with plenty of hay. They don't much care one way or the other.

 

[albertjohnson]

Wise acre remarks aside, there's an intelligent, serious answer. But only for intelligent thinkers.

 

[jfountain2]

If I am an 81 year old farmer then damn the blueberries and walking four miles to get rid of some extra Spam. The neighbor can get his own damn can opener and the cow can figure out how to get her own grass or become steak.

Did I forget to mention I am a very cranky 81 year old farmer?

 

[Northern Wisconsin]

On top of the barn???? Maybe?

 

[NoUseforaName]

I'm with FarmBoy.....only I'd marinate her with BBQ sauce. Meat beats milk anyday!

 

[AlgoRhythms]

It is the year 2010 and TSHHTF. You are an 81 year old wise farmer with only one milk cow named Betsy. She is an odd cow though, who can only walk forward and turn right. She cannot turn left nor walk backwards.

You have to walk into town 4 miles away to trade some cans of spam for an extra can opener that you want to trade to your neighbor for some blueberries, and will be gone all day. Betsy needs to eat and you want her to eat the grass all around the barn so she will continue to give good milk. But you do not want her to wander off. So you need to stake her somewhere so that she will not be able to walk off but stay near the barn. So you tie a 100 foot rope to her neck and tie a wooden stake at the end of the rope and then you ponder where to stake her. The barn is 50 feet by 50 feet, a square barn, with only a front door.

If you stake her at one corner of the barn, she will walk 50 feet straight, then turn right and walk another 50 feet and be stuck at that corner of the barn, as she cannot turn left to go back and cannot walk backwards. So she is stuck, having only eaten half way around the barn.

But being you are a wise old farmer, you suddenly think of a place to stake her and she will be able to eat completely all around the barn, all 200 feet of the perimeter, without being able to wander away from the barn.
Where did you stake her?

The cow can only turn right. Do you mean 90 degrees right or can it turn at any other angle as long is it goes right?

 

[albertjohnson]

for Northern Wis.

Dorsai made this guess in a PM... my reply was...

That's a common guess. But you're 81 years old, too old to be climbing around on a roof. Plus the rope would catch on an eve and stop poor Betsy. Nice try though. There's a much better solution. try again.

For AlgoR: yes, she can turn at any angle as long as it's to the right.

 

[Jerry D Young]

Iffin' it was me, I'd start her eating at one corner of the building, walk to my right, go around the first corner, and drive the stake at the second corner. She walks to the stake a hundred feet, turns right at the stake and eats away from the stake for a hundred feet turning right at the third corner to end up back where she started.

Iffin' it was me that be the way I'd do it, bless these old bones.

 

[AlgoRhythms]

Okay...

start in top right corner of the barn. go 12.5 feet along a wall and place a mark.
go back to same corner and go 12.5 feet along the other wall and place a second mark.

stake the cow where two lines would intersect if you drew them perpendicular from the walls where the spots are.

the cow can reach any spot in the barn even if it can only go forward or turn right.

 

[arisinwind]

Put the cow at one corner of the barn and the stake at the opposite. First she follows the rope to the corner, then the rope trails her as she goes around the other half of the barn.

 

[Brew]

Stake her anywhere around the barn. If she can only turn right and go forward she can still turn to face any direction and go forward. Two turns and she can go in the opposite direction she came from. Three turns and she can go left.

 

[albertjohnson]

That'd get close Brew, but poor Betsy isn't that smart. Plus that would leave a few feet at both sides of the opposing corner from where she started.

Dorsai, JD and Arrisinwind all nailed it.

That was a quick one. :thumb:

 

[sassytexan74]

shoot! ride that dang cow to town! forget walking at 81!

 

[JRNC26]

She cannot turn left nor walk backwards.

Did Daewoo build a cow?

 

[sassytexan74]

did daewoo build a cow?

:d: Hahahhahhahahah

 

[Brew]

That'd get close Brew, but poor Betsy isn't that smart. Plus that would leave a few feet at both sides of the opposing corner from where she started.

Dorsai, JD and Arrisinwind all nailed it.

That was a quick one. :thumb:

Well no actually it was an alternative answer. If the cow is staked on a corner she can eat 50% of the grass and go back. after some fumbling she can eat across the front, then have 50' of slack to turn 3/4 circle again and eat the final 50'. It is actually a correct and accurate answer based on the facts/premise. But then again you don't stake out cows so its a moot point.