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YOU CAN GET 833 APPLES TO BANANAVILLE. FIRST YOU HAVE TO MAKE 3 TRIPS OF 1,000 APPLES FOR 333 MILES. YOU WILL BE LEFT WITH 2,001 APPLES AND 667 MILES TO GO. NEXT YOU HAVE TO TAKE 2 TRIPS OF 1,000 APPLES FOR 500 MILES. YOU WILL BE LEFT WITH 1,000 APPLES AND 167 MILES TO GO (YOU HAVE TO LEAVE AN APPLE BEHIND). FINALLY, YOU TRAVEL THE LAST 167 MILES WITH ONE LOAD OF 1,000 APPLES AND ARE LEFT WITH 833 APPLES IN BANANAVILLE THE MESSENGER HAS TO HAVE TRAVELED 2 KM. IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT SPEED THEY WALKED AT. AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PUZZLE, THE LINE IS 1 KM LONG. THE GENERAL IS THEREFORE 1 KM AHEAD OF HIM. THE MESSENGER MUST THEREFORE TRAVEL MORE THAN 1 KM TO REACH THE GENERAL. SINCE THE LINE MOVES 1 KM FORWARD, THE END IS WHERE THE BEGINNING WAS. EVEN IF HE WALKED 1.5 KM TO THE GENERAL, HE ONLY HAS TO WALK 0.5 KM TO GET BACK TO THE END OF THE LINE. IT GOES FASTER GOING BACK, BECAUSE NOW THEY ARE COMING TOWARDS HIM, AND NOT GOING AWAY 49 MINUTES. IT IS VERY TEMPTING TO JUST SUBTRACT THE TIMES 9:09 FROM 10:10, ETC., AND GET 61 MINUTES, OR IF YOU'RE CARELESS GET 101 MINUTES. HOWEVER, THINK OF THE TIMES CLOSEST TO ONE ANOTHER, 12:12 AND 1:01, AND YOU WILL FIND THE DIFFERENCE IS 49 MINUTES KOLKHOZ IS 120 MILES AWAY FROM THE CITY AND THE TRUCK SHOULD TRAVEL AT 24 MILES AN HOUR. AT 30 MILES PER HOUR A TRUCK TRAVELS A MILE IN 2 MINUTES; AT 20 MILES PER HOUR, IN 3 MINUTES. AT THE LATTER SPEED THE TRUCK IS 1 MINUTE SLOWER PER MILE. TO LOSE 2 HOURS, OR 120 MINUTES, TAKES 120 MILES, WHICH IS HOW FAR THE KOLHOZ IS FROM THE CITY. AT 30 MPH, THE TRUCK WOULD COVER 120 MILES IN 4 HOURS. THE TRIP IS TO TAKE 1 HOUR LONGER, OR TO ARRIVE AT 11:00 A.M., AND CALLS FOR A SPEED OF 24 (120/5) MILES PER HOUR