Let’s just jump right in:
There is a cage at the zoo that contains both peacocks and wild pigs. If there is a total of 30 eyes and 44 feet, how many of each is in the cage?
How many legs and eyes does each one have?
I was told there’d be no math.
Here’s how I figure it, assuming none of the animals are mutants or crippled:
30 eyes = 15 animals.
So there are fifteen pairs of two feet, PLUS seven more pairs of two feet (15x2 + 7x2 = 44)
That means there must be seven pigs, since those extra pairs of two feet must be the extra pair that a pig has.
Which means there must be eight peacocks, since 15-7=8.
Check: 8 peacocks = 16 feet
7 pigs=28 feet
28+16=44
Daniel
Let P = no. of peacocks, let W = number of wild pigs
2P + 4W= 44 ------------(1
2P + 2W= 30-------------(2
(1 - (2 = 2W= 44 - 30 = 14 = 2W =>
W = 7
=> 2P = 30 - (2 *7) = 16 =>
P = 8
Well, yeah, MC, but my way works if you haven’t studied math in over a decade! 
Daniel
I’m sure it has something to do with the “eyes” of the peacocks tail.
or not! Good job MC.
DWr, I didn’t see your way before I posted that, but their both pretty simlair. It’s just that if I was in amths exam that’s how I’d do it 
and Daniel!
- a maths exam.
actually you could be right kevsnyde, but how many eyes do peacock tails have?
No, your solution is definitely more elegant than mine. I was just trying to save face :).
Daniel
Hah. I was gonna pop back in and ask to ‘show all work’
I didn’t go the algebra route.
Well, sort of.
I did the eyes first: 30 eyes means 15 animals.
Now to work out the distribution for legs:
I started by using every combination possible (there are 15 possible combos, from 0 peacocks and 15 pigs to 0 pigs and 15 peacocks) and worked down to a combo of:
8 peacocks (8 x 2 legs = 16 legs) PLUS 7 pigs ( 7 x 4legs = 28 legs) (16 legs plus 28 legs = 44)
So, the total number of animals is 15, with 8 being peacocks and 7 being pigs.
8 peacocks have 16 eyes and 16 legs
7 pigs have 14 eyes and 28 legs
That’s 30 eyes and 44 legs
I wasn’t getting it at first because I hate algebra (it is algebra, right!?)
The other tricky part: a radio station gave a week to solve this to their listeners, which made me think to be suspicious of deceptive language. Hmmmmm.
I think that was to throw people (such as myself) off the right track. A red harring if you’d like (or red peacock in this case)?
My WAG as to how many “eyes” a peacock tail has, depends on how many feathers. I’m thinking it’s not a specific amout, like say how many teeth a human adult has. THERE in lies my flawed way of thinking… that’s what i get for never getting past high school algebra…
I don’t think so. Sorry, kev. While I applaud your suspicious approach, in this case it doesn’t work out, numerically. A peacock might have four to six plumes that have “eyes” IIRC, but that would result in six or eight eyes per peacock. At that rate, unless someone has crossed a peacock with a millipede, there just wouldn’t be enough legs to go around, given the limit of 30 eyes.
Okay, the answer’s been posted if you count peacocks as having 2 eyes. So just for grins, I’m going to figure it out as if the peacocks count as 3 eyes each - 2 in their head, and one on their tail feathers. (I’m making no claim that this is an accurate assumption.)
Eyes: 2(pig) + 3(peacocks) = 30
Feet: 4(pig) + 2(peacocks) = 44
That would give 4 peacocks and 9 wild pigs. Any idea if this is what the radio station had in mind?
The only other solution you can get (allowing more “eyes” on the peacocks’ tails) is, if you count each peacock as having 5 “eyes” (3 on the tails), you get 2 peacocks and 10 wild pigs.
Radio station: Who knows what they’re thinking, but by them giving a week to solve it, it would make you think there is some un-obvious answer…
…BUT…
…being this is a radio station we’re talking about, we probably should put it to bed right now.
They are notorious for lame-o riddles.
If you’re really suspicious about the wording, they may spring the old pigs-don’t-have-feet-they-have-trotters routine on you. I don’t believe that interpretation is valid (since a trotter is really a kind of foot), but who knows what kind of tricks the radio station might have in mind?
I dunno, bibliophage, I ain’t never seen no jar of pickled pigs’ trotters.