That's why the change he gave is a loss. However, the money he got from the neighbour he simply gives back later.

Let's change the chronology of the actual exchanges:
The seller gets 25 rubles from his neighbour, then gives them back to his neighbour (now he is at 0 again), then he gives someone 15 rubles and a cap (net loss: 15 rubles and a cap).

well, so far 13% of the answers are 25 rupels... I guess tolstoy was right about this being challenging to some people:winkwink:

I know. I'm trying to figure out if the cap counts for $10. I would assume it does since it's multiple choice only.

but the simplest thing to do is to keep in mind that there is only 1 fake bill of 25 rupels, and if it had not been faked, nobody would have lost anything. So the only loss you can get in the end is the value of that 25 rupels bill. whoever is in possession of that bill lost 25 rupels, and that's as simple as it can get... just sucks for the vendor that he is the one stuck with it:1orglaugh

That's the flaw in this question :glugglug

I actually pressed the wrong thingy before I had entirely read the question, so 25 actually has another vote (a reluctant one, though, because of the flaw in the question :winkwink:).

Yeah I wasn't subtracting the 25...I am a moron..w00t w00t :Graucho

Well the question that we are trying to answer wasn't very clear anyhow.

I think I'm just plain dumb, nothing wrong with the question.

15

This part

"A question: on how many was deceived the seller?"

He was decieved of 2 things, cash and a hat. We have to just assume they are counting the hat as 10 to answer at all.

My brain being used to logical sentences put rubles in the question and that was my original instinct. But alas, there is no choice for it. :winkwink:

Exactly

though my first answer was the easiet why use mind power and google it but atlast the mother load of all information failed me lol

Took this somewhere else, have fun:

Here is a very simple test to see if you are the weakest link. Answer these 4 questions rapidly and see how many you get right. Do not cheat and answer as rapidly as you can.

Question #1:
You are running in a race, and you double the runner in the second position. In what position do you finish?









Answer:
If you think you just won, think again. You doubled the runner in second place, so you are now at the position he was at, second.

Question #2:
Now if you double the last runner, where do you finish?









Answer:
If you answered last but one, you're wrong again! Take a moment to think about it, how can ou double the runner that is in last place? If you are behind him, he is not in last place, so this question is simply impossible.

Question #3:
Take 1000. Add 40. Add another 1000. Add 30. Add another 1000. Add 20. Add another 1000. Add 10. What is the total?










Answer:
5000? Wrong!
The answer is 4100. Do it with a calculator if you want to, you'll see that it is 4100.

Question #4 :
Maryse's father has five daughters. Here are their names:
1. Chacha
2. Cheche
3. Chichi
4. Chocho
5. ????
Question: What's his last daughter's name? Answer rapidly...









Answer:
Chuchu? Wrong again!
The answer is Maryse, read the question again!

so here we go - 25 is the correct answer!

||||Tolstoy kiks ass!!! :321GFY

P.S. today i gave this task to about 14 of my friends and they just fucked up my head with their answers and explanations :))))))) and now i read same shit here !!! :)) tolstoy rulezzzz


GFY men - u r great :)

Mortimer is right, the fake $25 is the only loss. there cannot be a higher loss then the fake ruble.

i didn't read the rest because I was looking for exactly this answer. We win.

UNLESS the seller actually paid 10 rubles for the cap, then you can sum his loss to 50 - if you assume he is running a no-profit business.



I WIN AGAIN!

He paid 15 rubles of his real money out for change and then paid 25 rubles of real money to make up for the fake ruble. Loss that, blindy.

The question is a little ambiguous because we don't know how much the cap cost the seller or whether we're supposed to include the value of the cap, but if you value it at fair market value ($10) the Seller is out $50. He gave the buyer a cap worth $10 plus $15 real money ($25) and he gave the neighbor $25.00 in real money.

If we ignore the cap and just look at cash the answer is $40.

Nope, I'm wrong.

It is $25.00.

The neighbor is irrelevant.

If he'd had the change in his till, he'd have ended up cheated out of $15.00 plus a cap in exchange for worthless money.

Instead, it's like he borrowed $25 real dollars from the neighbor and then paid it back with real dollars. He's still only out $15.00 plus a cap.

25 (fake exchanged) that he pays back to the neighbor...
15 of the neighbors real money was given back to the cheater for change from the fake 25....

So seems he would be out 40 and a cap... 50 if you assume the 10 for the cap since thats what the selling price is worth...

Fuckit.. I give... :1orglaugh

Maybe the neighbor demanded money back and he said go fuck yourself and he was only out a cap.

- L

looks like discussion will never end :)

but the task has no mistakes and if you'll do some simple math calculation you'll get the correct answer - 25

Simple calculation yields "15 and a cap", not "25".
If there was no difference between having inventory priced at a certain amount of money and actually having that amount of money, storekeepers around the world would rejoice in their newfound wealth.

He is out the cap, which has a market price of 10r. He also gave the customer 15r. The customer leaves with the equivalent of 25r.

he still had 10r of the neighbor's real money in his register, which he has to give back to her along with 15r more of his own money. This comes to 25r to the neighbor.

That looks like 50r, unless I'm missing something.

You're missing that he also got 25 from the neighbour, and that the price of the cap isn't what he actually loses on it - although Tolstoy himself apparently also missed that last part.