How many were in the crate to begin with?
In all three consecutive divisions of the cucumbers, none had to be cut in half. All the resulting numbers are whole.
There’s a Greek saying about cucumbers: “Some eat them and feel refreshed; others eat them and feel stressed”... I can see you’re stressing over the cucumber riddle. Try working backwards, from the end to the beginning, and you’ll struggle less. He finishes with one. So ask: how many did he need right before the third split to end up with one? Do the same step for the second split, then the first. That’ll lead you to the starting number.
The answer is “15.” In the first split, he gave away half plus half a cucumber (7.5 + 0.5 = 8) and was left with 7. In the second round, he gave away 3.5 + 0.5 = 4 and was left with 3. In the third round, he gave away 1.5 + 0.5 = 2 and was left with 1.
