A bat and a ball cost $1.10 in total. The bat costs $1.00 more than the ball. How much does the ball cost?
A. $1.10
B. $0.10
C. $0.05
D. $1.00
E. $0.15
A bat and a ball cost $1.10 in total. The bat costs $1.00 more than the ball. How much does the ball cost?
A. $1.10
B. $0.10
C. $0.05
D. $1.00
E. $0.15
Put it in equation form:
1.10 = X + (1.00 + X), where X is the cost of the ball.
Solve for X.
Even if you can’t write or solve an equation, these sort of multiple-choice tests are easy - just try each choice…
Why on earth are you asking this here?
Price of ball = X
Price of bat = Y
Y + X = 1.10
Y = 1.00 + X
Solve for X.
Two equations, two unknowns. Simple stuff.
This is an **old ** brain teaser that expects you to give the knee-jerk answer of $0.10 without really thinking about it by taking $1 from $1.10. But if you use Q.E.D.'s advice you will reach the true answer of $0.05.
Or, to do it in your head, take the price, subtract the difference, and split the remainder. In other words:
Price minus difference: 1.10 - 1.00 = .10
Half of .10 is .05, that’s what the lesser item costs. The greater one costs .05 + 1.00 = 1.05.
This doesn’t strike me as a question to which you require an answer. I think you know what the answer is and you’re posing the question to ‘stump’ people. (Although it’s going to take a little more than this to challenge the average Doper).
Why does *anybody * ask *anything * here?
Is that a woosh? If not, you made it overly complicated as there is only one unknown in the OP.
It’s not unreasonable to treat both the price of the bat and the ball as unknowns. True, you can figure out one from the other, but then, that’s always the idea when someone describes a situation as “N equations in N unknowns”. At the end, of course, there are 0 unknowns, since you can find everything’s value explicitly…
I count two unknowns, the price of the bat and the price of the ball.
I racant what I said, you’re right there are technically two unknowns but since one is defined in terms of the other (The bat costs $1.00 more than the ball) I didn’t think of it that way.
Question 2: A bat and a ball cost $1.10 in total. The bat costs $1.00, more than the ball. How much does the ball cost?
A. $1.10
B. $0.10
C. $0.05
D. $1.00
E. $0.15
B.
Did you really think one of us would miss a comma?
Not only that, but it’s impossible to know the exact price and location of the ball. If you know the exact price, for example, it’s impossible to know its exact location. Or something like that.
In the case of such noncommuting observables, it is generally best to measure the three most important: location, location, location.
Well, it’s better than unexpectedly missing a period, I suppose