Subject: If my small-scale test is sound...
Author:
Posted on: 2015-03-28 03:05:00 UTC
First, divide the barrels up into groups of ten, numbered 1-10. For each group, each prisoner (A-J) drinks from two barrels, sharing one with the prisoner to his left and the other with the prisoner to his right. Rotate who drinks from what barrels; for instance, in the first round, A drinks from barrels 1 and 2; in the second round, he drinks from 2 and 3; etc. When this can no longer be done without repetition, switch up the order of the prisoners so that they're sharing with different people.
If my mind hasn't gone completely off the rails, it should be possible for only two prisoners to share the poisoned barrel, and assuming the scribes have done their jobs, which two it is that die should pinpoint the barrel.
It works for up to 100 barrels before I stop being able to visualize it... at least, I'm pretty sure it does. Probably. Definitely works for ten men and ten barrels, at the very least. >.>
~Neshomeh, who was an English major for a reason, dangit.