At first site, this ancient problem may seem incongruous as it involves half an egg. But do try to solve it:
A peasant woman came to a market to sell some eggs. A first buyer took half her eggs plus 1/2 an egg. The same happened with the remaining eggs: a second buyer buyer took half her eggs plus 1/2 an egg. A third only bought what was left over: 1 egg.
A peasant woman came to a market to sell some eggs. A first buyer took half her eggs plus 1/2 an egg. The same happened with the remaining eggs: a second buyer buyer took half her eggs plus 1/2 an egg. A third only bought what was left over: 1 egg.
How many eggs were there initially?
(In the applet below, click on the underlined omitted expressions. See what happens.)