Boating Cross Paheli
3 cannibals and 3 missionaries have to move to the other side of the river. There is a single boat which can accommodate at most 2 passengers at a time. What is the minimum number of times the boat have to cross the river?
Details and Assumptions :
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The boat couldn't travel empty.
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When there is on one side, more cannibals than missionaries, they eat them.
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When the boat is docked, all the cannibals will want to alight to eat the missionaries if possible.
The answer is 11.
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1 solution
[ BANK 2 - BOAT - BANK 1 ]
INITIALLY
[ 0C 0M - 0C 0M - 3C 3M] ;
cross 1- '1 cannibal 1 missionary' [0C 0M - 1C 1M - 2C 2M] ;
cross 2- '1 missionary' [1C 0M - 0C 1M - 2C 2M] ;
cross 3- '2 cannibals' [1C 0M - 2C 0M - 0C 3M] ;
cross 4- '1 cannibal' [2C 0M - 1C 0M - 0C 3M] ;
cross 5- '2 missionaries' [2C 0M - 0C 2M - 1C 1M
]XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
cross 6- '1cannibal 1 missionary' [1C 1M - 1C 1M - 1C 1M ];
cross 7- '2 missionaries' [1C 1M - 2M 0C - 2C 0M ];
cross 8- '1 cannibal' [0C 3M - 1C 0M - 2C 0M ];
cross 9- '2 cannibals' [0C 3M - 2C 0M - 1C 0M ];
cross 10-' 1 cannibal' [1C 3M - 1C 0M - 1C OM ];
cross 11- '2 cannibals' [1C 3M - 2C 0M - 0C 0M ];
FINALLY [3C 3M - 0C 0M - 0C 0M ] ;