Three types of monkeys—monkeys of the same type weigh the same—were amusing themselves in the jungle. By chance they found a small wobbly tree, where, by varying the amounts of monkeys on each side they could keep the tree in an upright position.
They found out that:
2 howler monkeys and 1 squirrel monkey on one side balanced with 4 spider monkeys on the other side.
2 spider monkeys and 1 squirrel monkey on one side balanced with 3 howler monkeys on the other side.
Can you determine how many squirrel monkeys on one side it would take to keep the tree upright with 4 howler monkeys on the other side?
Answer
3
In the following explanation, assume:
spider monkey =sp
squirrel monkey = sq
howler monkey = h
If (2h+1sq) = 4sp, then divide by 2 giving:
(1h+ 0.5sq) = 2sp
Therefore:
(1sq + 2sp) = (1sq + 1h + 0.5sq) = (1h + 1.5sq)
Therefore:
3h = (1h + 1.5sq)
Therefore:
2h = 1.5sq
Then multiply this all by 2, giving:
4h = 3sq
