DAY 464
From Reader's Digest

An old man decided that it was time to divide his herd of 18 camels among his three sons. He kept the camel he loved best for himself and had 17 left. As was the custom, he gave one half the herd to his eldest son, one third to the second, and one ninth to the youngest. How did he do it?

He added his own camel to the 17, making 18 again. 9 camels went to the eldest son, 6 to the second, and 2 to the third. 9 + 6 + 2 =17, so 1 camel was left - the one the old man loved best - and he took it back for himself.

This story illustrates an old Arabian saying: "If you give away that which you love, it will be returned to you."
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The saying may be true, but the math isn't. What's wrong?

Answer:

1/2 + 1/3 + 1/9 = 
9/18 + 6/18 + 2/18 = 17/18 - He's one camel short.