There are 4 men who want to cross a bridge. They all begin on the
same side. You have 17 minutes to get all of them across to the other
side. It is night. There is one flashlight. A maximum of two people
can cross at one time. Any party who crosses, either 1 or 2 people,
must have the flashlight with them. The flashlight must be walked
back and forth, it cannot be thrown, etc. Each man walks at a different
speed. A pair must walk together at the rate of the slower man
Man 1: 1 minute to cross
Man 2: 2 minutes to cross
Man 3: 5 minutes to cross
Man 4: 10 minutes to cross
For example if Man 1 and Man 4 walk across first, 10 Minutes have
elapsed when they get to the other side of the bridge. If Man 4
returns with the flashlight, a total of 20 minutes have passed, and
you have failed the mission. (communicated to me by Jeff Miller)