Mark-N-Jen - 25 August 2005 08:17 AM

Sharruma - 25 August 2005 07:16 AM

The answer is $40

The seller is out the $20 funny money
$10 for the hat
and $10 for change

Funny money is not money... therefore he can’t be “out” of it and it shouldn’t count towards the total amount of money he’s lost.

That’s how I figured it.  The funny money I counted as 0.  I have a cute little math problem on my notepad now.  I think it looks smart.

He’s out $20. 

The hat was paid for with valid money from the changer.  Look at it this way - after the transaction he was even.  No problems.  Then he had to give $20 back to the person who made change.  Therefore, he’s out $20.  In other words, there was only $20 worth of bad money so the total loss possible is only $20.

But that means that the hat was never really paid for, b/c he gave $10 to the buyer, who gave the FAKE money.

Wrong.  The hat was paid for.  The seller never owned the $20.  He acted as a go-between for the buyer and changer.  Technically, the changer should have been out the $20, but since the seller brought it to him, that’s where he went back to get it.  All the $20 did was pass through the seller’s hands without any transaction taking place.

Look at it this way.  Since the seller only acted as go-between you can consider him irrelevent to the money changing.

Buyer needs change.  Gives Fake 20 to changer - get’s Real 10 and Real 5 x 2.

Buyer goes to seller, gives him Real 10 - gets hat.  Seller even.

Changer comes back and get Real 20 from seller.

Seller out Real $20.

If you’re still confused, here’s more.  What if the money was never discovered to be fake?  How much is the seller out then?  Nothing. 

What if the changer realized it was fake, but either didn’t say anything, or got the money back from the buyer?  How much is the seller out?  Nothing.

Since the changer got his $20 from the seller, the seller is only out $20.

But the seller gave up 20 REAL dollars for 20 FAKE dollars.

Buyer gave F$20 to Seller
Changer gives Seller R$20
Seller gives Changer F$20
Seller gives HAT to BUYER with R$10
Changer asks for R$20
Seller gives Changer R$20

Now, where did the Seller get the extra $10, if he couldn’t give change before, I don’t know, but he came up with it.  So, he’s left without cash.  And without a hat.  He was never paid anything for the hat.  He gave the hat to the Buyer WITH $10.

It’s $30!!!!

Buyer gave F$20 to Seller

Changer gives Seller R$20

I reversed these two to make it easier to understand. 

Seller gives HAT to BUYER with R$10

Correct, but you’re missing a step.  The Seller has R$20 that he got from the Changer.  He gives R$10 + Hat to the Buyer.  Seller then pockets R$10 left over from what the Changer gave him.  At this point the seller isn’t out anything.  Everyone’s happy.

Changer asks for R$20

Seller gives Changer R$20

NOW the Seller is out.  R$20

The R$10 came from the R$20 that the Changer gave to the Seller.

The right answer is 20 bucks, and good job to those who got it right Basically, it’s like this. The seller receives $10 for the hat and that transaction is over. He gets his money and gives $10 change plus the hat which was legitimatly paid for. Then the neighbor comes and says the money was fake, and wants the money back, so the seller gives $20. He doesnt lose any more than that because the hat was already paid for.

Oh well I guess I didn’t read it right… I thought the guy who bought the hat came back with the ten dollars saying it was fake…  oopsy.

mooo1 - 25 August 2005 06:46 PM

The right answer is 20 bucks, and good job to those who got it right Basically, it’s like this. The seller receives $10 for the hat and that transaction is over. He gets his money and gives $10 change plus the hat which was legitimatly paid for. Then the neighbor comes and says the money was fake, and wants the money back, so the seller gives $20. He doesnt lose any more than that because the hat was already paid for.

And first on that list of those who got it right…

“Mark-N-Jen”

Thank You, Thank You very much!!!

*But I still haven’t figured out the 3 guys and the $25 hotel room thing!*

THE SELLER STILL DOESN’T HAVE A HAT!  GAH!

The seller can’t even make up part of the money from the missing $20, b/c he now doesn’t have his hat to sell.  The hat was NOT paid for.  B/c the Changer got back his exact amount, the Buyer got a Hat and $10, the Seller, is out $20, and the hat - which was not paid for, b/c you can’t ‘pay’ for something with fake money. 

Am I just nuts???  Or is no one else seeing how this is a problem?