Another famous puzzle used as an example in the study of

Chapter 10, Problem 12E

(choose chapter or problem)

Problem 12E

Another famous puzzle used as an example in the study of artificial intelligence seems first to have appeared in a collection of problems, Problems for the Quickening of the Mind, which was compiled about A.D. 775. It involves a wolf, a goat, a bag of cabbage, and a ferryman. From an initial position on the left bank of a river, the ferryman is to transport the wolf, the goat, and the cabbage to the right bank. The difficulty is that the ferryman’s boat is only big enough for him to transport one object at a time, other than himself. Yet, for obvious reasons, the wolf cannot be left alone with the goat, and the goat cannot be left alone with the cabbage. How should the ferryman proceed?