Cleverness When It Counts - Lauren Ipsum: A Story About Computer Science and Other Improbable Things - page 75

“Are you here about the mandelbroccoli?”
“Uh, mandelbroccoli? No, sir.”
“Then you have information regarding the wolf.”
“The wolf?”
“Yes, the wolf,” said Darius. “One of my men is trying to move a wolf, a goat, and a load of
mandelbroccoli across the Concurrent Streams. The boat is only big enough for him and one
other thing.”
“Can't he take one at a time?” she asked.
“No good. If he takes the wolf and leaves the goat alone with the broccoli, she'll eat it. If he
takes the broccoli and leaves the wolf with the goat, the wolf will eat her .”
“So take the goat first,” said Laurie, doing a pantomime in her head. “And then take . . . oh.”
“Yes. No matter what he takes next, he has the same problem on the other side.” Darius said.
“That's terrible news, but I'm actually asking about a Pass,” Laurie replied.