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Mind Games: The Crow and the Pitcher  
 

         A crow perishing from thirst knew that if he did not find (at least two ounces of) water before sunset, he would not live to see another day. Shortly before dusk the crow was heartened when he spotted a (one-quart cylindrical) pitcher standing upright on a rock in a nearby clearing.
         The crow sadly discovered that although the pitcher contained water (ten times the amount he required), the water was well below the (28-ounce) level he could reach. To try would be foolish. If the pitcher tipped over, water would spill down the rock and be absorbed by the sandy soil below.
         Luckily for the crow, his weakened condition had not impaired his reasoning. After giving the matter much thought he gathered his remaining strength and searched the clearing for small stones. One by one, the crow dropped the stones (each stone displacing one-half ounce of water) into the pitcher until the water reached a sufficient level, and he was thereby sustained.
         Now that the crow has impressed us with his problem-solving abilities, can you figure out how many stones the crow had to drop into the pitcher before the water in the pitcher rose to an accessible level?

SOLUTION
 
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