Fetching Water

You are camping out with a large group at a remote location when you are ask to go out to the well, a half-mile away and fetch exactly 2 gallons of water.

When you get to the well, you find there are two buckets.  One holds 7 gallons and the other holds 13 gallons.

Making only one trip.  How can you use the two buckets to make sure that you bring back exactly 2 gallons of water?

Answer: Fill the 7-gallon bucket, then pour the 7 gallons into the 13-gallon bucket.  Fill the 7-gallon bucket a second time, that pour enough water from that bucket to fill the 13-gallon bucket.  You now have one gallon left in the 7-gallon bucket.  Empty the 13-gallon bucket, then transfer the remaining one gallon to that bucket.

Repeat the process.  After the first fill of the 7-gallon bucket, you will have 8 gallons in the 13-gallon bucket.  When you fill the 13-gallon bucket the second time, you will be left with the 2 gallons you want in the 7-gallon bucket.

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