any geniuses out there than can help me with this?

Question

anonymous · Answer

There are 3 rivers and after each river lies a grave. So there are 3 rivers and 3 graves. A man wants to leave the SAME amount of flowers at each grave, and be left with none at the end. What happens though is that each time he passes through one of the rivers the number of flowers he has doubles. So he has to start off with what number of flowers, taking into consideration that they double, so that he is left with no flowers whatsoever at the end?

anonymous · Answer

@TheSmartOne  any idea?

love_to_love_you · Answer

Assuming he starts with x and at each grave he leaves y flowers at the grave

love_to_love_you · Answer

...after first crossing he has 2x 
then he has 2x - y at hand

love_to_love_you · Answer

after 2nd crossing he has 2 (2x-y) 
then he has 4x-2y - y = 4x -3y at hand 
at third crossing he has 2(4x-3y) and which equals to y 
so 8x - 6y = y or 8x = 7y

love_to_love_you · Answer

so one solution is x = 7 and y = 8

love_to_love_you · Answer

It goes like this:
14 - 8 = 6 
2*6 = 12 
12 - 8 = 4 
4 * 2 = 8 
8 - 8 = 0

love_to_love_you · Answer

Does that make sense?

anonymous · Answer

I had the answer the entire time, i justwanted to see if others could do it. Well done

love_to_love_you · Answer

Haha ok then, thanks!

nothingwasthesame · Answer

sorry i was forever

thesmartone · Answer

@osamabinswaggin http://bit.ly/1D8BWLD

thesmartone · Answer

@nothingwasthesame Cite your source... http://www.theproblemsite.com/problems/mathhs/2009/jan_5_solution.asp lol its the same thing that @osamabinswaggin took a screenshot of...

thesmartone · Answer

...

anonymous · Answer

@nothingwasthesame how are you so dense?