You've got someone working for you for seven days and a gold
bar to pay them. The gold bar is segmented into seven
connected pieces. You must give them a piece of gold at the
end of every day. If you are only allowed to make two breaks
in the gold bar, how do you pay your worker?

Answers were Sorted based on User's Feedback



You've got someone working for you for seven days and a gold bar to pay them. The gold bar is ..

Answer / ben

Md Abdul Aziz is on the right track...
Cut it into 3 part where the parts are 1, 2 and 4 segments long.
Day 1 - Give 1 segment bar
Day 2 - Give 2 segment bar ask for 1 segment bar back
Day 3 - Give 1 segment bar
Day 4 - Give 4 segment bar ask for 1 + 2 back
Day 5 - Give 1 segment bar
Day 6 - Give 2 segment bar ask for 1 segment bar back
Day 7 - Give 1 segment bar

Is This Answer Correct ?    250 Yes 9 No

You've got someone working for you for seven days and a gold bar to pay them. The gold bar is ..

Answer / amar damani

i will make two breaks making one, two & four,

day one: one
day two: take one give two
day three: give one again
day four: give four & take three (two + one)
day five: give one
day six: take on give two
day seven: give one

Is This Answer Correct ?    14 Yes 1 No

You've got someone working for you for seven days and a gold bar to pay them. The gold bar is ..

Answer / geoffrey

Or you could just ask the worker to break it. the question
states that YOU can't break it more than twice, it doesn't
say that it can't be broken more than twice.

Is This Answer Correct ?    21 Yes 10 No

You've got someone working for you for seven days and a gold bar to pay them. The gold bar is ..

Answer / jb

There's an issue with the standard/"correct" answer of
breaking into 1, 2 and 4 segment blocks, which is; what
happens if the worker spends some of his pay after being
given it?
Depending what's being looked for, a correct answer could
be a wrong one. Most intelligent people should be able to
work out the algorithm, but in doing so show that they lack
consideration of the real world; i.e. that pay is there to
be spent.

Is This Answer Correct ?    7 Yes 1 No

You've got someone working for you for seven days and a gold bar to pay them. The gold bar is ..

Answer / vikas

Break it into
1 bar piece
2 bar piece
4 bar piece

with 2 breaks as stated.

Day bars with worker | paid on day | bars with me |
Count remaming
1, 2, 4
7
1 1 1 2, 4
6
2 2 2 1, 4
5
3 1,2 1 4
4
4 4 4 1,2
3
5 4,1 1 2
2
6 4,2 2 1
1
7 4,2,1 1 none
none

Is This Answer Correct ?    13 Yes 8 No

You've got someone working for you for seven days and a gold bar to pay them. The gold bar is ..

Answer / yadge

You've all got it right. It's just binary.

Is This Answer Correct ?    11 Yes 6 No

You've got someone working for you for seven days and a gold bar to pay them. The gold bar is ..

Answer / observer

I'm with Geoffrey. At the end of each day during the 7 day
period ask the worker to break off 1 piece of the 7 pieces
until the wprk period has ended. That would solve the
problem of not being able to break it 2 times yourself. I
think the key to this riddle is in the "if". You're the
boss; make the worker "work" for his pay.

Is This Answer Correct ?    5 Yes 0 No

You've got someone working for you for seven days and a gold bar to pay them. The gold bar is ..

Answer / momo

you fire the worker becuz u cant!!

Is This Answer Correct ?    3 Yes 0 No

You've got someone working for you for seven days and a gold bar to pay them. The gold bar is ..

Answer / vikas

Break it into
1 bar piece
2 bar piece
4 bar piece

with 2 breaks as stated.

Day bars | paid | bars | Count remaming
with on with
worker day me
1, 2, 4 7
1 1 1 2, 4 6
2 2 2 1, 4 5
3 1,2 1 4 4
4 4 4 1,2 3
5 4,1 1 2 2
6 4,2 2 1 1
7 4,2,1 1 none none

Is This Answer Correct ?    8 Yes 6 No

You've got someone working for you for seven days and a gold bar to pay them. The gold bar is ..

Answer / david

Well, what's the point if the worker spends the first piece
of gold bar on day 1 itself? After all he is getting paid
at EOD and he has to spend it to meet his needs. ;)

Is This Answer Correct ?    1 Yes 0 No

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