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N. J. Fine: 2 ideas and puzzles worth knowing

2 ideas and puzzles from N. J. Fine, each explained in a minute and credited to the original work. Free on Savvy.

• You can protect people who were never vaccinated at all

  When enough of a population is immune to a disease, its chains of transmission break down even for people who aren't immune, because an infected person is unlikely to meet anyone l…

  — P. Fine, K. Eames & D. L. Heymann, Herd Immunity: A Rough Guide

• 3,000 bananas, a 1,000km desert, and a camel that eats as it walks

  A trader has 3,000 bananas at one edge of a 1,000km desert and a camel that can carry at most 1,000 bananas at a time — but eats one banana per kilometre travelled, loaded or not. …

  — N. J. Fine, Jeep problem

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