In: Advanced Math
This is a question for my problem-solving class. I am really stuck and I can't see much of a pattern so I would appreciate if someone could draw out for each thief and explain the pattern to get the answer for 40 thieves!
Question:
Forty thieves, all different ages, steal a huge pile of identical gold coins and must decide how to divide them up. They settle on the following procedure. The youngest divides the coins among the thieves however he wishes, then all 40 thieves vote on whether they are satisfied with the division. If at least half vote YES, the division is accepted. If a majority votes NO, the youngest is killed and the next youngest gets to try to divide the loot among the remaining 39 thieves (including herself). Again they all vote, with the same penalty if the majority votes NO and so on. Each of the thieves is logical and always acts in her or his own self-interest, ignoring the interest of the group, fairness, etc. Given all this, how should the youngest of the 40 thieves divide the loot?