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The monkey and the coconuts
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<p>The monkey and the coconuts is a <a href="/facts/Mathematical_puzzle/3WtWnGVC">mathematical puzzle</a> in the field of <a href="/facts/Diophantine_analysis/mYaHp7oX">Diophantine analysis</a> that originated in a short story involving five sailors and a <a href="/facts/Monkey/ARjd5RRr">monkey</a> on a desert island who divide up a pile of <a href="/facts/Coconut/RUYNhNo2">coconuts</a>; the problem is to find the number of coconuts in the original pile (fractional coconuts not allowed). The problem is notorious for its confounding difficulty to unsophisticated puzzle solvers, though with the proper mathematical approach, the solution is trivial. The problem has become a staple in <a href="/facts/Recreational_mathematics/p2b8zl2J">recreational mathematics</a> collections. </p>