Logic Boat
Logic Boat
[A person shows up at a boat docked at the edge of a river. The person has brought along a head of cabbage, a goat, and a wolf.] Problem: The boat only holds two, but you can't leave the goat with the cabbage or the wolf with the goat.
[The wolf looks curiously at the cabbage that's been left behind while the person goes off with the goat.] Solution: 1. Take the goat across.
[The goat remains tied up on the far side. The wolf watches the person come back.] 2. Return alone.
[The wolf sits and waits as the person goes off.] 3. Take the cabbage across.
4. Leave the wolf. Why did you have a wolf? [The wolf goes off.]

The comic is a play on the classic wolf, goat and cabbage puzzle belonging to the river crossing puzzles , and first known from Propositiones ad Acuendos Juvenes , with the same setting as here. The three possessions change between various retellings but it typically involves a carnivorous animal (wolf, lion etc.), a herbivore (goat, sheep, chicken, goose etc.), and some plant based food (cabbage, grain, beans etc.). The objective is to ferry all three possessions to the other side of a river safely in a small boat , with the limitation of only being able to transport one possession per crossing. The crossing order must take into account that the carnivore would eat the herbivore if left alone together, and the herbivore would eat the food.
The traditional solution would be:
(Note that, since the conditions for this problem are symmetric, an alternate solution would be to transport the wolf on Trip 3 and the cabbage on Trip 5.)
By leaving the wolf behind, four steps are saved — the comic's "step 4" is just a comment — and the troublesome wolf, a wild and dangerous animal not usually kept by humans, is eliminated from the picture.
This could be seen a jab on the common assumption that logic puzzles only have one correct solution. Thus one often keeps the other person thinking and guessing until they arrive at the pre-defined solution, no matter how many other creative good solutions they come up with. Also note that the "problem" given doesn't even state an objective, just three prerequisites.
Alternatively, this could be a jab at the fact that the conditions of some puzzles are very strange. Both the fourth step and title text are evidence of this - questioning why you would have a wolf or a cabbage respectively. Yet, even though it is unlikely that you would ever find yourself in the situation and odd rules as stated by the puzzle in real life, [ citation needed ] the puzzle demands that you solve it and reach the criteria it asks.
The title text says that cabbages are also unnecessary, but goats are fine. The reasons for these opinions are less obvious than the one about the wolf, but still understandable. Many people, presumably including the narrator, do not like the taste of cabbage. Many are also fond of goats, finding them cute. The same opinion about goats is in 1282: Monty Hall .
The river crossing puzzle was the main focus of 2348: Boat Puzzle . It was referenced in 589: Designated Drivers .
[A person shows up at a boat docked at the edge of a river. The person has brought along a head of cabbage, a goat, and a wolf.] Problem: The boat only holds two, but you can't leave the goat with the cabbage or the wolf with the goat.
[The wolf looks curiously at the cabbage that's been left behind while the person goes off with the goat.] Solution: 1. Take the goat across.
[The goat remains tied up on the far side. The wolf watches the person come back.] 2. Return alone.
[The wolf sits and waits as the person goes off.] 3. Take the cabbage across.
4. Leave the wolf. Why did you have a wolf? [The wolf goes off.]
