# Medicine problem [duplicate]

Laura has to take 2 different kind of medicines (medicine 1, medicine 2). both look exactly the same (same weight, color, shape, size, etc…; i.e identical).

If she takes more than 1 medicine of the same kind per day, she will die. Furthermore, if she doesn’t take medicine 1 and 2 every day, she will also die.

Laura is on a limited budget, and since the medicines are extremely expensive, she can’t throw any of them away.

One day, she got distracted and by mistake put 2 medicines on the table. Since both medicine types look identical, she’s not sure which medicine is which.

Question: How can she manage to take the medicines without any further dire consequences and yet save the extra medicine?

• "...and by mistake put 1 medicines on the table". Do you mean she put a single pill on the table? – Mike Earnest May 27 '15 at 5:35
• @MikeEarnest I meant ...and by mistake put 2 medicines on the table Question edited. – Mox Shah May 27 '15 at 5:51
• how about medicine taste ? – user2408578 May 27 '15 at 5:55
• Laura is on a limited budget – Mox Shah May 27 '15 at 5:56
• whether she kept two medicines from two different box or same box.....does this recalled by her ? – user2408578 May 27 '15 at 6:04

Like that she will consume $2*(1*0.5)$ of medicine 1 and $2*(1*0.5)$ of medicine 2, so exactly 1 of each.