You Don't Have to be Superman!

Getting from point A to point B can seem like an impossible task.  But with a simple change of perspective, the impossible math problem suddenly become elegantly simple.

 Can you leap 20 feet straight up?  If there was a bag of gold tied to a light fixture on the ceiling 20 feet above your head, could you leap up and get it?  Even Shaquille O'Neal, for all his height and strength, could not leap so high.

But what if we turned that building on its side?

Why, you could walk right up to that chandelier and grab all that gold without even breaking a sweat.     Let's try a different kind of distance problem.  We don't need big complicated numbers.  Remember, math is all about logic, numbers are just tools.

The End of the Rainbow

In this story, the pot of gold is at the end of the rainbow, which lies 120 miles away, in the heart of the Amazon rain forest.  The only way in starts with a long narrow tunnel.  It is so narrow that no vehicle can squeeze through.  A treasure seeker can only carry enough supplies to last five days.  The problem is that you can only travel 30 miles per day.  There are porters available to help you carry supplies but even porters have to eat.  And they don't come cheap.  So what is the least number of porters you must hire to help you get to the treasure and everyone safely back to civilization?

 Would a picture help?  Come follow the logic.     OR   If you think you know the solution, check your answer here.