How many Ducks

[Schutzengel]

If there are 2 ducks in front of a duck, and 2 ducks behind a duck, and a duck in the middle. How many ducks are there?

[BillySugger]

Duck knows

[jen78]

5?

[hippyhoppy]

3

[Schutzengel]

Nice try Jen,
The answer is 3.
It had me mystified for ages.

[Schutzengel]

hippyhoppy - Spot on.

[dove]

3

[dove]

always a tad late lol

[BillySugger]

3

[north star]

minimum of 3 and any odd number above 3

[BillySugger]

3 isn't above 3

[north star]

Quite correct BS and your point is?

[BillySugger]

You said , & I quote 'any odd number above 3' - well 3 isn't above 3 is it ?

[waterboatman]

most deffinately 3.

[north star]

conveniently ignoring the words I used previous to that quoted

[Schutzengel]

If it was any odd number above three, then there would be more than 2 ducks, in front of and behind the middle duck.

[nightmare]

You never specified that the two ducks had to be in front of / behind the middle duck.
If there are 97 ducks in a line, there are 2 ducks in front of the third duck from the front, two ducks behind the 95th duck and a duck (number 49) in the middle.
Therefore, any odd number greater than 1 answers the question correctly, as stated.

[Schutzengel]

The question was as stated originally.
2 ducks in front of a duck = 3
That's the starting point.
Next -
So there are only 3 ducks.
Next - 2 ducks behind a duck, gives 2 ducks behind the first duck, of the three.
And there are still only 3 ducks.
Of the 3 ducks that are there, there is one in the middle, so the answer is - 3.