The Captive Queen

A Classic Puzzle by Lewis Carroll
A captive queen and her son and daughter were shut up in the top room of a very high tower. Outside their window was a pulley with a rope around it, and a basket fastened to each end of the rope of equal weight. They managed to escape with the help of this and a weight they found in the room, quite safely. It would have been dangerous for any of them to come down if they weighed 15 lbs more than the content of the other basket, for they would do so too quick, and they also managed not to weigh less either.

The one basket coming down would naturally of course draw the other basket up.

The queen weighed 195 lbs, daughter 105, son 90, and the weight 75 lbs.

How did they all escape safely?

Originally posted by villa68

A Classic Puzzle by Lewis Carroll
A captive queen and her son and daughter were shut up in the top room of a very high tower. Outside their window was a pulley with a rope around it, and a basket fastened to each end of the rope of equal weight. They managed to escape with the help of this and a weight they found in the room, quite safely. It would have ...[text shortened]... hed 195 lbs, daughter 105, son 90, and the weight 75 lbs.

How did they all escape safely?

rite, this is the first puzzle ive attempted on here and itll prob be wrong but hey... the boy escapes first...., then he stands in the bsket without the weight in it makin it..90 lbs, so the girl could escape.. then the girl and the son stood in the weights basket which made it 195 lbs, hence the queen could escape... yes?

Originally posted by astevenson
rite, this is the first puzzle ive attempted on here and itll prob be wrong but hey... the boy escapes first...., then he stands in the bsket without the weight in it makin it..90 lbs, so the girl could escape.. then the girl and the son stood in the weights basket which made it 195 lbs, hence the queen could escape... yes?

the basket and weights work on system if one side goes down the other must go up,

so the wight and boy won't be at bottom at start

or when you have queen at the bottom

the son and daughter are at the top again

you need to write it out in steps

weight placed in basket, it falls

boy goes in other basket falls, weight rises

etc etc etc until all are out

ok, i cant do it, without the boy dying

Originally posted by astevenson
ok, i cant do it, without the boy dying

just go one step at a time until someone dies, then go back and change tactics a little and eventually you'll get it

Originally posted by villa68
just go one step at a time until someone dies, then go back and change tactics a little and eventually you'll get it

ok... weight is put in bucket, bucket falls,
boy gets in basket, basket falls sure to higher weight of the boy,
the boy gets out, the basket rises, due to no weight in it,
the girl gets in, she falls, safely due to bein 15 more than the boy,
the girl gets out and places the weight in. the boy fals safely,
the girl gets in the one with the boy in.
the queen moves the weight from the basket and hops in and comes to safety,
the boy gets out and the girl falls safely (after the boy put the weight back in,
thast all i can get byut ecven thats wrong

{first brackets are the things at the top, second are the things at the bottom}

start position [sdqw] []
drop the weight [sdq] [w]
drop the son & raise the weight [dqw] [s]
drop the daughter and raise the son [sqw] [d]
drop the weight [sq] [wd]
drop the son & raise the weight [qw] [sd]
drop the weight [q] [sdw]
drop the queen and raise the daughter and weight [dw] [sq]
drop the daughter and raise the son [sw] [dq]
drop the weight [s] [wdq]
drop the son & raise the weight [w] [sdq]

well done