Can you solve the fish riddle? - Steve Wyborney

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: 庭芝 梁

You are the cargo director on the maiden voyage of the S.S. Buoyant,

你是蒸氣輪船漂浮號 處女航的貨運總監，

and you've agreed to transport several tanks containing

你已經答應要運送幾個水族箱，

the last specimens of a critically endangered fish species

裡頭裝載著一種 瀕臨絕種魚類的最後幾隻，

to their new aquarium.

要將它們送到新的水族館。

不幸的是，當你正要通過 有大批鯊魚出沒的海域時，

Unfortunately, as you're passing through shark-infested waters,

the boat is battered by a fierce storm, throwing your precious cargo overboard.

船受到暴風雨的襲擊， 而你珍貴的貨物被拋出船外。

And to make matters worse,

雪上加霜的是，

no one seems certain just how many fish tanks are missing.

似乎沒人知道遺失了幾個水族箱。

Fortunately, you have a rescue sub at your disposal,

幸運的是，你有一台 救援潛水艇可以使用，

but only enough fuel for one trip to the ocean floor.

但是剩餘的油料只夠潛入海底一趟。

You need to know where the tanks are

你必須知道水族箱的位置，

so you can gather them all in one quick pass.

才能一次就把它們全部找回來。

Not a single fish can be lost.

任何一條魚都不能少。

You decide to scan the three sectors of the ocean floor

你決定要掃瞄海底的三個區域，

where the cargo could have landed.

這些區域可能是貨物的所在之處。

Thermal imaging shows 50 organisms in the area,

根據熱成像系統顯示， 在這些區域有 50 個生物，

and you quickly realize that that number includes both your fish

你很快就了解到， 這個數字不只包括你的魚，

and some ravenous sharks.

也包括一些饑腸轆轆的鯊魚。

You flip on the sonar to get a better look.

你打開聲納，試著作進一步探測。

The image for Sector Alpha shows four tanks and two sharks,

阿法區的影像顯示： 有 4 個水族箱和 2 隻鯊魚。

the image for Sector Beta shows two tanks and four sharks,

貝他區的影像顯示： 有 2 個水族箱和 4 隻鯊魚。

and the image for Sector Gamma is blank.

伽瑪區的影像則是一片空白。

Your sonar has malfunctioned,

你的聲納故障了，

and you're going to have to go with the info you have.

你只能運用手中現有的資訊。

你查看了貨運記錄，

You check the shipping notes,

but all you learn is that each tank had the same number of fish inside.

但只能知道每一個水族箱中 都有相同數量的魚。

The cargo hold had space for anywhere from 1 to 13 total tanks.

船上的貨倉空間 總共可以裝 1 至 13 個水族箱。

And finally, the old captain tells you that this area has the odd property

最後，老船長告訴你 這個區域有個神奇的特性，

that no two sectors can have the same number of sharks,

任何兩個區域的鯊魚數量都不同，

but every sector will have at least one,

而每個區域至少會有 1 隻鯊魚，

and no more than seven.

最多不會超過 7 隻鯊魚。

There's no time to waste.

沒有時間可以浪費了。

The tanks won't withstand the pressure much longer.

水族箱無法承受水壓太久。

於是你進入潛水艇， 重新檢視所有已知的資訊。

As you descend in the sub, you review everything you know.

How many fish tanks do you need to find in Sector Gamma?

你在伽瑪區需要找到幾個水族箱？

Hurry, the fate of an entire species depends on you.

快！整個魚種的命運掌握在你手中！

Pause here if you want to figure it out for yourself.

如果你想要嘗試自己解題， 請在這裡暫停。

Answer in: 3

答案即將公布：倒數 3 秒。

Answer in: 2

倒數 2 秒。

Answer in: 1

倒數 1 秒。

At first, it seems like there are just too many missing pieces of information.

一開始，看起來有太多資訊遺失了。

After all, you don't know how many fish or how many tanks there are,

畢竟，你不知道總共有幾隻魚， 有幾個水族箱，

let alone how many fish are in each one.

更別提每個水族箱裡有幾隻魚。

But then you remember the best way

但接著你想起來，

要比較許多片段的資訊， 最好的方式是——表格。

to compare multiple pieces of partial information - a table.

Since we know there are thirteen tanks at most,

我們知道最多總共 13 個水族箱，

and we already see six tanks in Sectors Alpha and Beta,

而我們已經在 阿法區與貝他區看見 6 個，

we know the total number of tanks must be between 6 and 13.

所以我們知道， 水族箱的總數是 6 到 13 個。

We also know that each sector has a different amount of sharks

我們還知道 每個區域的鯊魚數量不同，

with no more than seven in each one.

而每個區域最多有 7 隻。

Since there are two in Sector Alpha and four in Sector Beta,

既然在阿法區有 2 隻， 貝他區有 4 隻，

Sector Gamma can have 1, 3, 5, 6, or 7 sharks.

因此伽瑪區可能會有 1、3、5、6 或 7 隻鯊魚。

What about the number of endangered fish?

那麼瀕臨絕種魚類的數量呢？

Out of the 50 total organisms in all three sectors,

三個區域總共有 50 隻生物，

we know at least seven are sharks,

我們知道至少有 7 隻鯊魚，

leaving a maximum of 43 fish inside all the tanks.

因此所有水族箱內的魚 最多有 43 隻。

And the more sharks we find in Sector 3, the fewer fish there are to save.

在第三個區域找到越多鯊魚， 就表示那裡要拯救的魚越少。

Now, remember that the fish are equally distributed across all the tanks.

現在，別忘了每個水族箱的魚一樣多。

Why is that important?

為何這件事很重要？

Because it means that one of the possible values for the total amount of fish

因為它意味著魚群的可能總數，

must be divisible by one of the possible values for the total amount of tanks.

一定可以被水族箱的可能總數整除。

從這張表可以看出， 只有一種組合能符合條件。

And looking at the table, we can see that the only combination that works

is 39 fish divided between 13 tanks with three fish in each.

共 39 隻魚分到 13 個水族箱， 每個水族箱有 3 隻。

With sharks swarming around,

鯊魚在旁邊成群游動，

you quickly pilot the sub through the first two sectors

你迅速地駕駛潛水艇 通過前兩個區域，

before retrieving the remaining seven tanks in Sector Gamma.

最後再到伽瑪區 撿回剩下的 7 個水族箱。

You've saved the species and taken an impromptu dive.

你拯救了這個物種， 並且進行了一次意料之外的潛航。

All in all, not a bad day, unless you happen to be a hungry shark.

從各方面來說，這天還不算太糟， 除非你剛好是那些肚子餓的鯊魚。