Down and Out

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Three robbers, Babylas, Hilary, and Sosthenes, are stealing a treasure chest from the top of an old tower. Unfortunately, they’ve had to destroy their ladder to avoid pursuit, so they’ll have to descend using a crude tackle — a single pulley and a long rope with a basket at each end.

Babylas weighs 170 pounds, Hilary 100 pounds, Sosthenes 80 pounds, and the treasure 60 pounds. If the difference in weight between the two baskets is greater than 20 pounds then the heavier basket will descend too quickly and injure its occupant (though the treasure chest can withstand this). How can the three of them safely escape the tower with the treasure?

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