A Man with Medical Condition and 2 Pills | Puzzles for Interview - Interview Preparation PDF Download

Introduction

This puzzle is about a man who has a medical condition that requires him to take two kinds of pills, A and B. He must take one pill of each type every day, or he will die. But one day, he accidentally puts two B pills instead of one in the glass of water with one A pill dissolved in it. This puzzle challenges us to find a way for the man to take the right amount of pills without wasting any of them.

Step-wise Solution

1. Add one more A pill to the glass and let it dissolve.
2. Take half of the water today and half tomorrow.

Explanation

To solve this puzzle, the man needs to add one more A pill to the glass of water to balance the number of A and B pills. Then, he can divide the water into two portions and take one portion today and the other portion tomorrow. Since the pills are uniformly dissolved in water, this solution works. Also, it assumes that the dissolved pills can be used the next day and that the man has to take pills for at least one more day.

Alternate Solution

Another solution to this puzzle is to add pill A to the glass of water and boil the solution in a jar. This will cause the water to evaporate, leaving residue of the medicine. The man can then take half of the residue, which will be equivalent to a single day dosage of one pill A and one pill B, and take the rest the next day. However, this solution assumes that the medicine does not evaporate with the water.

Conclusion

This puzzle challenges us to think creatively and find a way to solve a problem with limited resources. By following these step-wise solutions or coming up with alternate solutions, we can help the man take his medicine in the correct way without wasting any pills.