Christmas Quiz

[catmoffat]

Six cannibals threw a dinner party and they decided to eat each other in turn. So someone was selected for everyone to eat (except the victim!) and when he had been eaten, someone else was selected, and so on. If it tok one cannibal two hours on his own to devour one person, how long was it before just one consumer remained?

[juliefer]

I make it 4 hours 34 minutes eating time, plus however long it took them to make the selections and (presumbly) cook the next victim.

[gen2]

You have to remember though that as each one is eaten, the remaining ones will become heavier.

eg. after 3 have been eaten, the remaining 3 will each be as large as two persons and will take twice as long to eat. Allowing for this, I make the total time to be 9hrs 55minutes and 12seconds

[gen2]

Correction: 10hrs exactly

[juliefer]

The question just says it took one cannibal two hours to eat another and doesn't say whether this was the first or last cannibal to be eaten.

The time could just as easily refer to the last one to be eaten so conversely, gen2, the earlier ones could have been eaten more quickly. In fact the mention of one, rather than five, cannibals' rate of eating might suggest this is the more likely interpretation.

[Dsg]

Surely the answer is infinity/never.

As when there are only two cannibals left, they would never be able to decide who was to be eaten next !!

Or do turkeys vote for Christmas ?

[catmoffat]

Just a great variety of answers to choose from my own answer was 2hrs 34 minutes. Now I'm spoiled for choice

[juliefer]

Good luck with the quiz, catmoffat.

Dsg, if the last two didn't decide amicably which of them should be eaten - eg by drawing straws - then the last eater would be whichever one managed to kill the other.

Actually, I've just re-read the question and it asks 'how long before one consumer remained' rather than 'one cannibal'. Thus one consumer would be left at the point where two cannibals remain ie 2 hours and 34 minutes - your own answer catmoffat.

Did you work it out this last way too?

[johnalex]

Reminds me of the cannibal who passed his friend in the street . . .

[Trojanfarce]

Would a cannibal eating a clown complain that it tasted funny?