08-24-2006, 10:16 AM | #1 | ||
lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Annapolis, Md
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Convenience store puzzle
So, I'm picking up a few items at my local convenience store, whose familiar name I am omitting here as a silent protest of their refusal to allow pr0n on their mag racks.
The clerk seems my four items, and announces "that will be $7.11, sir." But then he corrects himself... "oops, I accidentally multiplied the four prices together, rather than adding them. Let me correct that." Here you will need a massive suspension of disbelief, I understand, to imagine a convenience store clerk with both this degree of computational ability and complete lack of common sense... but it's kind of important for the puzzle... After a short pause, he says "hey, what do you know, it still adds up to $7.11, sir." How much did each of my four purchases cost? |
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08-24-2006, 10:25 AM | #2 |
Rider Of Rohan
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Port Angeles, WA or Helm's Deep
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Whohoo! Cheap meat!
__________________
It's not the years...it's the mileage. |
08-24-2006, 10:40 AM | #4 |
General Manager
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: New Mexico
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I will solve this puzzle for 1 million dollars, and not a penny less.
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08-24-2006, 10:41 AM | #5 |
General Manager
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: The Mountains
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It's really obvious to me, but I'd like to give others a chance
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08-24-2006, 10:43 AM | #6 | |
lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Annapolis, Md
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Quote:
You should ignore taxes for purposes of this puzzle. |
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08-24-2006, 10:47 AM | #7 | |
Pro Starter
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Fairfax, VA
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Quote:
woohoo! I'm buying my xbox 360 today then! |
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08-24-2006, 10:48 AM | #8 |
Coordinator
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Big Ten Country
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Was the product exactly $7.11, or $7.11 with rounding?
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08-24-2006, 10:59 AM | #9 |
Pro Starter
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Cary, NC, USA
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Closest I've got is multiplying to 7.11 but adding to 7.08... still going.
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08-24-2006, 11:00 AM | #10 |
Pro Starter
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Kansas City, MO
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I'm also assuming you're looking for exact real-life prices and not imaginary prices like $1.7489323. I can get to $7.10 quite easily.
Last edited by kcchief19 : 08-24-2006 at 11:04 AM. |
08-24-2006, 11:03 AM | #11 | |
Coordinator
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Big Ten Country
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Quote:
I've got adding to 7.11, but multiplying to 7.1176 -- stupid rounding. |
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08-24-2006, 11:06 AM | #12 |
lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Annapolis, Md
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This puzzle is solvable with ordinary two-digit prices that both multiply and add exactly to 7.11.
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08-24-2006, 11:15 AM | #13 |
n00b
Join Date: Jun 2004
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(edit...nevermind...I'm an idiot, and the second to admit it)
Last edited by rewissick : 08-24-2006 at 11:19 AM. |
08-24-2006, 11:18 AM | #14 | |
lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Annapolis, Md
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Quote:
You may want to brush up a bit on the concept of "multiplication." |
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08-24-2006, 11:22 AM | #16 |
Coordinator
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Big Ten Country
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Blah. I've got adding to 7.11, multiplying to 7.105 -- at least it rounds to 7.11!
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08-24-2006, 11:29 AM | #17 |
High School Varsity
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Old Forge, PA
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Not too proud of the solution, got it more or less through brute force, but it works!
Spoiler... $1.20, $1.25, $1.50, $3.16 Edit: Got to watch my grammar & spelling in Quiksand-related threads.
__________________
There are three things I have learned never to discuss with people...religion, politics, and the Great Pumpkin. - Linus Van Pelt Last edited by TredWel : 08-24-2006 at 11:33 AM. |
08-24-2006, 11:34 AM | #18 |
Coordinator
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Big Ten Country
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Thanks for putting me out of my misery.
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08-24-2006, 11:40 AM | #19 |
Pro Starter
Join Date: Feb 2006
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Amen...I had taken it to excel.
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08-24-2006, 11:46 AM | #20 |
Head Coach
Join Date: Dec 2001
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Wonder what Quik bought.
Generic brand profolactics(small size) - $3.16
__________________
"Don't you have homes?" -- Judge Smales |
08-24-2006, 12:27 PM | #21 |
Pro Starter
Join Date: May 2001
Location: toronto
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2/3
__________________
Pumpy Tudors Now that I've cracked and made that admission, I wonder if I'm only a couple of steps away from wanting to tongue-kiss Jaromir Jagr and give Bobby Clarke a blowjob. |
08-24-2006, 12:31 PM | #22 | |
Pro Starter
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Fairfax, VA
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Quote:
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08-24-2006, 12:34 PM | #23 |
College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: speak to the trout
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Brute force? Here's some real brute force:
Code:
__________________
No signatures allowed. Last edited by dacman : 08-24-2006 at 12:35 PM. |
08-24-2006, 12:35 PM | #24 |
Head Coach
Join Date: Dec 2001
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10 Print "dacman molests collies."
20 Goto 10
__________________
"Don't you have homes?" -- Judge Smales |
08-24-2006, 01:04 PM | #25 | |
lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Annapolis, Md
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Quote:
Was this post really necessary or called for? After all, you know how sensitive I am about... bad spelling. |
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08-24-2006, 01:05 PM | #26 |
"Dutch"
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Tampa, FL
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It's too bad this didn't happen to me. The thread title would have been totally different.
"Holy Shit! You'll never guess what happened today!!one*!!111!1!" *subbyism |
08-24-2006, 01:08 PM | #27 |
Pro Starter
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Burke, VA
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1 pack Logarithmic Graph Paper = $1.50
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08-24-2006, 01:10 PM | #28 | |
Head Coach
Join Date: Dec 2001
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Quote:
I think the generic ones run big.
__________________
"Don't you have homes?" -- Judge Smales |
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08-24-2006, 01:17 PM | #29 | |
Coordinator
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Big Ten Country
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Quote:
I think that's how much bibles cost. |
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08-24-2006, 01:18 PM | #30 |
Bounty Hunter
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
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Two pounds of cucumbers = $1.25
__________________
No, I am not Batman, and I will not repair your food processor. |
08-24-2006, 01:22 PM | #31 |
Head Coach
Join Date: Dec 2001
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So we have profolactics, cucumbers, graph paper and pencils.
*shudder*...some type of experiment....*shudder*
__________________
"Don't you have homes?" -- Judge Smales |
08-24-2006, 01:22 PM | #32 |
This guy has posted so much, his fingers are about to fall off.
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: In Absentia
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Cucumbers are typically sold per cucumber, not per pound. I would expect you to know that.
They're also not usually sold at convenience stores.
__________________
M's pitcher Miguel Batista: "Now, I feel like I've had everything. I've talked pitching with Sandy Koufax, had Kenny G play for me. Maybe if I could have an interview with God, then I'd be served. I'd be complete." Last edited by Ksyrup : 08-24-2006 at 01:22 PM. |
08-24-2006, 01:33 PM | #33 |
Pro Starter
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Fairfax, VA
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The answer being something other than 2/3....priceless.
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08-24-2006, 01:45 PM | #34 |
lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Annapolis, Md
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Back to the original puzzle - this can be solved without just brute force.
Trick is to get past the decimals, and think of the prices in pennies 9interegrs are just easier to deal with). With that in mind, the multiplied version has to take the 1/100 exchange into account four times -- meaning that the multiplied value of the four prices is going to be 7.11 expanded by eight decimal places, or rather 711,000,000. Taking prime factors of this number, by whatever method you like, gets you to: six iterations of 5 six iterations of 2 two iterations of 3 and 79 From there, it's a much simpler brute force application to assemble these components (multiplied into groups) that will add up to the total of 7.11: 5x3x2x2x2 = 120 5x5x5 = 125 5x5x3x2 = 150 79x2x2 = 316 120 + 125 + 150 + 316 = 711 Convert all to dollars instead of pennies, and you're done. |
08-24-2006, 01:46 PM | #35 | |
Pro Starter
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Burke, VA
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Quote:
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08-24-2006, 01:46 PM | #36 | |
Bounty Hunter
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
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Quote:
__________________
No, I am not Batman, and I will not repair your food processor. |
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08-24-2006, 01:51 PM | #37 | |
This guy has posted so much, his fingers are about to fall off.
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: In Absentia
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Quote:
I think this is as good a time to post this as any...
__________________
M's pitcher Miguel Batista: "Now, I feel like I've had everything. I've talked pitching with Sandy Koufax, had Kenny G play for me. Maybe if I could have an interview with God, then I'd be served. I'd be complete." |
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08-24-2006, 01:56 PM | #38 | |
General Manager
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: New Mexico
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Quote:
I bolded the only part of this post that I understood. |
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08-24-2006, 02:06 PM | #39 |
Pro Starter
Join Date: Feb 2006
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Interesting read....I took the approach of chaning 7.11 to an improper fraction and looking at factors needed to give you 711 on the numerator and 100 on the denominator. Then tried to find the combination that work. Would have got it after about an hour of work totaly probably.
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08-24-2006, 02:17 PM | #40 | |
Pro Starter
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Cary, NC, USA
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Quote:
I started here, but didn't expand out the extra decimal places and got lost. Hence moving to brute force. |
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08-24-2006, 02:26 PM | #41 | |
Pro Starter
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Fairfax, VA
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Quote:
Interesting...my approach was to go to the local 7-11 and have the clerk keep ringing 4 items up until I got to $7.11. The multiplication thing got me though. |
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08-24-2006, 04:17 PM | #42 |
Coordinator
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: The Great Northwest
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Depending on what you consider porn there are various 7-11s in SoCal sell Playboy and the illustrious Playboy News Stand Specials (god I loved those when I was younger).
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08-24-2006, 11:03 PM | #43 |
lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Annapolis, Md
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I'm pretty sure that the official Southland Corp. policy is no nudies at all - no Playboy, no Black Tail, no nuthin'. I once saw the latter at a 7-Eleven on the Eastern Shore of Maryland (odd in itself) but I guess those are rogue local franchisees.
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08-25-2006, 08:18 AM | #44 | |
Head Coach
Join Date: Dec 2001
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Quote:
If someday I could see Quik walking out of a store with the latest Black Tail life would be complete.
__________________
"Don't you have homes?" -- Judge Smales |
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08-25-2006, 08:27 AM | #45 | |
Head Coach
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Maryland
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Quote:
Dating back into the mid-80's (hi Ed Meese!), probably just a little before the 12/86 "Women of 7-Eleven" pictorial.
__________________
null |
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03-01-2016, 09:31 AM | #46 |
lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Annapolis, Md
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Good old days... some gold in this thread.
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