Jeep

Date: 04/07/97 at 06:43:18
From: Anonymous
Subject: Jeep!

A jeep can carry 200 liters of gasoline. The jeep can drive 2.5 km/l. 
You want to travel 1000 km and you can only fill up gasoline at the 
start and the finish. To be able to drive the 1000 km you have to 
place gasoline on the way. How much gasoline do you need and where are 
the best places to put the gasoline?

Date: 04/07/97 at 17:14:42
From: Doctor Ken
Subject: Re: Jeep!

Hi there-

This problem reminds me of the old "camel and bananas" problem.  It's 
not quite the same, but it's similar.  You can check that out at 

http://mathforum.org/dr.math/problems/berkman.11.18.96.html   

In order to figure out the answer to your question, we'd need to know 
more about what you mean by the "best" places to put the gasoline.  
There are several ways you might set it up: you might say that you 
want to place gas at the fewest number of places along the route, or 
perhaps you want to place them so that the amount of gas in your Jeep 
never goes below a certain level, or something like that.  So there 
are many different solutions.  One funny solution would be to start 
out with 2.5 liters of gas in the Jeep, and place 2.5 liters of gas 
every kilometer along the route.

Regardless of where you put your gas cans, you'll use the same amount 
of gas if you travel exactly 1000 km and use exactly 2.5 liters of gas 
per kilometer - you'll always use exactly 2500 liters of gas in the 
trip.  

-Doctor Ken,  The Math Forum
 Check out our web site!  http://mathforum.org/dr.math/