# Are trick questions fair? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 12, 2001, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-trick-questions-fair/75933 "2001-08-12T20:31:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2001, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-trick-questions-fair/75933/41 "2001-08-20T02:37:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jet Jaguar \* > \*\*Take 1000 and add 40 to it. Now add another 1000. Now add 30. Take another 1000. Now add 20. Now add another 1000. Now add 10. What is the total? > > You’re probably thinking, like I did, that the answer is 4100. But no, you’re wrong! The answer is 2030, because the total starts over with the third “1000”. The way the question is written implies you sum all of the numbers, unless you’re very picky about the semantics. \*\* Oh, that is evil. That’s another like **Attrayant** ’s spider question, where anyone in high school or above thinks, “I can do that in my sleep”, and gets tripped up because they were rolling their eyes too far. But: 1000 + 40 = 1040 1040 + 1000 = 2040 2040 + 30 = 2070 2070 + 1000 = 3070 3070 + 20 = 3090 3090 + 1000 = 4090 4090 + 10 = 5000 1000 + 40 = 1040 1040 + 1000 = 2040 2040 + 30 = 2070 1000 + 20 = 1020 1020 + 1000 = 2020 2020 + 10 = 2030 2030 + 2070 = 5000. But I think this question is invalid, because it asks “What is **the** total?” The total of what? The second sum? The first? Or both combined? It doesn’t say! ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2001, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-trick-questions-fair/75933/42 "2001-08-20T03:44:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Rilchiam \* > \*\* > 4090 + 10 = 5000 > 2030 + 2070 = 5000. > \*\* I see you have fallen prey to one of the classic blunders. The most famous of which is never get involved in a abortion war in GD. But only slightly less well known is this: Never go in against Rilchiam when mathematics is on the line. Ahahahahahahaha! _Klunk_ ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2001, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-trick-questions-fair/75933/43 "2001-08-20T04:06:53Z")
I didn’t know I had a rep involving mathematics. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2001, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-trick-questions-fair/75933/44 "2001-08-21T15:45:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Rilchiam \* > \*\*I didn’t know I had a rep involving mathematics. 😕 \*\* Sorry I didn’t get back to this sooner. Well, it’s just that 4090 + 10 does not equal 5000. Nor does 2030 + 2070 = 5000. They both equal 4100. That’s part of the trick. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2001, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-trick-questions-fair/75933/45 "2001-08-22T02:14:17Z")
**Oh, god damn it**! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-trick-questions-fair/75933.md?page=2)