Wolf, Goat, Lettuce

Here’s a classic puzzle:

Farmer Brown is taking his goods to market: a goat, a wolf, and a head of lettuce. There is a river on the way to the market. Ordinarily there would be a bridge spanning the river. But today the bridge has collapsed, and the only way of getting across is a small rowboat, just big enough for Farmer Brown and one of his items.

This poses a problem. Farmer Brown knows that without his supervision, the goat will gobble the head of lettuce, leaving him with only the goat and wolf to sell at market. Nor is it safe to leave the wolf alone with the goat, lest the goat be devoured. While he rows one item across, he can’t be supervising the other two on the riverbank. How does he transport all his goods across the river without casualty?

The solution can be found here. Happy puzzling!

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