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Can you solve the fish riddle? - Steve Wyborney

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TEDEd Animation

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As the cargo director on the maiden voyage of the S.S. Buoyant, you’ve agreed to transport several tanks containing the last specimens of an endangered fish species to their new aquarium. Unfortunately, the boat is battered by a fierce storm, throwing your precious cargo overboard. Can you get the fish to safety and save the day? Steve Wyborney shows how.

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Meet The Creators

  • Educator Steve Wyborney
  • Director Outis
  • Script Editor Alex Gendler
  • Associate Producer Jessica Ruby
  • Content Producer Gerta Xhelo
Avatar for TED Ed
Lesson creator

After you have solved the riddle, consider this additional scenario. If all of the information in the riddle remains in place, but we added 1 detail – that there is a porpoise in one of the sectors – what effect would that have on the number of possible solutions? Why would such a small detail have such a large impact?

Comments are closed on this discussion.

Avatar for Harry Connerty
Lesson completed

Such a small detail would have such a large impact because of the information in the riddle remains is the large impact.


Avatar for Nathaniel Leon - Student
Lesson in progress

it would be possible because there are 3 factors and we now that there are 4 boxes in one factor and 2 boxes in the other and 4+2=6 and their where 13 boxes that can fit in the boat and 6+7=13 and their is 43 fish in all and 43 / 13 = a not possable number so we have to use 12 boxes and 12 times 4 = 42 so ther is 12 boxes and their can be 6 boxes in the other sector



Avatar for Bailey Teague
Lesson in progress

there will be several possible solutions, 6,7,8,9,10,12


Avatar for Maeve Morrissey
Lesson in progress

this was hard T^T


Avatar for nevaeh jones
Lesson in progress

If we do the following 50-1=49 The rare fish in tanks would 1 of the 42, 40, 38, 37, and 36. There will then be 6 sharks in the gamma sector and 3 fish per tank.


Avatar for Ethan Liu
Lesson in progress

There will be 6 different solutions: 6,7,8,9,10,11,12 tanks in total.


Avatar for Rachel Pettross
Lesson completed

The addition of a porpoise would reduce the total number of fish to be divided among the remaining possible fish tanks by 1 as we know that there are 50 total organisms.


Avatar for Felix Lee
Lesson completed

i dont get it!!


Avatar for liam gordon
Lesson completed

that means there would be 6 possible sectors

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