Brain Teasers
$100 Serial Number
Mr. Tory, the manager of a local finance company, was walking down his street when he found a $100 bill by the curb. He picked it up, noted the serial number, and went home. Mrs. Tory told her husband that they owed the liquor store $100, so he gave the bill to his wife to pay the liquor store. The owner of the liquor store owed the butcher $100, so he gave the bill to the butcher, who then went to a farmer, and purchased a lamb with the $100. The farmer remembered he owed the finance company $100, so he took the same bill to them to pay his debt. Upon careful examination, Mr. Tory discovered that the bill was counterfeit. By this time, the $100 bill had paid $400 in debt. Which transactions turn sour and who loses what?
Answer
Since the identical counterfeit bill can be traced through all the transactions, they are all invalid. Therefore, everybody stands in relation to their respective debts as they were before Mr. Tory found the counterfeit bill. This being the case, the farmer is entitled to his lamb or $100.Hide Answer Show Answer
What Next?
View a Similar Brain Teaser...
If you become a registered user you can vote on this brain teaser, keep track of which ones you have seen, and even make your own.
Solve a Puzzle
Comments
This is a funny situation, but I think no one owes anyone anything in the end!
Just assume A owes $10 to B, B owes $10 to C and C owes $10 to A. This is equivalent to each of them owing nothing at all! You don't have to actually pay any money to even things out.
Just assume A owes $10 to B, B owes $10 to C and C owes $10 to A. This is equivalent to each of them owing nothing at all! You don't have to actually pay any money to even things out.
Strange situation. However, the person who has the counterfeit bill in their possession when it was determined to be bogus would be the loser...and in this case, he found the bill in the street, and later found it to be back in his possession to satisfy a debt. No loss, no gain.
Easy as tying your shoe and walking out the door to greet the day
Mr Tory was the counterfeiter since he changed his name to Mr Troy.
Seriously folks, it doesn't say that anyone else took note of the serial number so only the last transaction and the first could be proved to be transacted with a counterfeit note. Lots of other $100 transactions could have taken place.
Seriously folks, it doesn't say that anyone else took note of the serial number so only the last transaction and the first could be proved to be transacted with a counterfeit note. Lots of other $100 transactions could have taken place.
To post a comment, please create an account and sign in.
Follow Braingle!