The children decided to call in a very wise judge to help in the distribution of the

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The children decided to call in a very wise judge to help in the distribution of the rancher's estate. The judge arrived with a horse of his own. He put his horse in with the 17 belonging to the estate, and then told each child to pick from among the 18 in the proportions stipulated by the will (but be careful, he warned, not to pick his horse). The first child took nine horses, the second child took six, and the third child, two. The 17 horses were thus divided among the children. The wise judge took his horse from the corral, took a fair sum for his services, and rode off into the sunset.

The youngest son complained that the oldest son received 9 horses (but was entitled to only \(17 / 2=8.5\) horses). The judge was asked about this, and he faxed the children the following message: "You all received more than you deserved. The eldest received \(1 / 2\) of an 'extra' horse, the middle child received \(1 / 3\) more, and the youngest, \(1 / 9\) of a horse "extra." Apportion the horses according to Adams', Jefferson's, and Webster's plans. Which plan gives the appropriate distribution of horses?

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