Brain Teaser

National Guard

A customer walked into a store and purchased four items. The check-out clerk totals the items and tells the customer he owes $7.11. The customer comments on the items costing the same as the name of the store! The clerk says that he simply multiplied the costs of the items to equal $7.11. The customer calmly tells the clerk that the costs of the items should be added, not multiplied. The clerk then informs the customer that the correct total is also $7.11.

What are the exact costs of the 4 items?
What is the mathematical principle used?

ray a

National Guard, are you on the wrong forum? HR people aren't supposed to be good at math. Now I'll have to ask my wife - she'll have the answer in... oh about 30 seconds.

National Guard

No I'm not on the wrong forum but I am new. I just didn't want to post "Hi I'm new and this is my first post"! I'm anxious to hear your wife's answer.

HS

You know, I used to be good at math, but this week my brain is fried.

So, I 'cheated' and looked it up. Good thing I didn't waste valuable brain power on this one. x:P This would have taken me forever to figure out.

For those that just want the answer, click here:
[url]http://home.att.net/~numericana/answer/recreational.htm#7-11[/url] (third one down, seven eleven)

rad

AAGGHH!! I looked at all those numbers and it made my head hurt. x:'(

HRQ

I lost interest during the second paragraph of the explanation. (Too many numbers and my eyes start to glaze over.) I still don't know the answer!

Dutch2

Having spent many years in retail, do we need to know the tax rate for the city and state before we try and figure this out? And were the items marked down/on sale or at regular price?
I admit it, I give up........!!!
Maybe I will try again later....
Thanks for the mental work out/break down
Dutch2

qsausagelm

If that sales clerk wrote out the answer in HS's link, why in the dickin's are they working at 7-11?

marc

I used to think I was good at these things. I read the solution but am completely mystified. They said there would be no math!

Rob S

I figured it out!!!!

Am I smart or what???

To figure this out I went to google and typed in: 7.11 math trick



I thought I was good in math until I read how to do the problem.


[url]http://home.att.net/~numericana/answer/recreational.htm#7-11[/url]

Rob

HS

Um, is there an echo in here x:-/
Didn't I just say this like 6 posts ago? x:P

System

xflash I think "Brain teaser" is a bit of an understatement. You made quite an entrance, National Guard - welcome to the Forum.

James Sokolowski
HRhero.com

Don D

So, what's the friggin' answer? Is part of learning the answer some crazy-legged gymnastics about googling and sorting a variety of mathematical answers? So, give the answer.








Note: The preceeding is my personal opinion and has no value beyond that. Although it may be 'sorta offensive' or 'indeed offensive' to someone out there, it is offered without regard to that possibility. Should you find yourself alarmed by my post, you may privately mail me to protest or you may alert the principal's office. x:-)

ray a

I don't know, Don. I gave it to the little woman and she couldn't figure it out. She let me down.

sonny

I don't know how ANYONE could figure it out! I gave up reading the answer too. And they have it listed under recreational math. HA..never in 50 years have I known math to be recreational.

Lighten up on the little woman Ray. She may have let you down, but she puts up with you, so may well qualify for sainthood on that count.

ray a

Yeah, you're right Sonny. I should show more respect for my elders and since she is older than I am, I should show her more respect.

Am I digging the hole deeper?

National Guard

Google is a search engine. HS and ROB S found the link. But even that site doesn't name the mathematical principle. It is hard to follow/understand what that guy is saying on his site! So, anyway. The four items purchased cost $1.20
$1.25
$1.50
$3.16

marc

The clerk was just lucky? Or does the owner have some way of really adding to the bottom line? In most cases, I would guess that if this happened and the customers just paid up, the multiplying factor would make this the most profitable 7/11 in history.