Brain Teasers
Greengrocer's Cucumbers
On a sunny morning, a greengrocer places 200 kilograms of cucumbers in cases in front of his shop. At that moment, the cucumbers are 99% water. In the afternoon, it turns out that it is the hottest day of the year, and as a result, the cucumbers dry out a little bit. At the end of the day, the greengrocer has not sold a single cucumber, and the cucumbers are only 98% water.
How many kilograms of cucumbers has the greengrocer left at the end of the day?
How many kilograms of cucumbers has the greengrocer left at the end of the day?
Answer
In the morning, the 200 kilograms of cucumbers are 99% water. So the non-water part of the cucumbers has a mass of 2 kilograms. At the end of the day, the cucumbers are 98% water. The remaining 2% is still the 2 kilograms of non-water material (which does not change when the water evaporates). If 2% equals 2 kilograms, then 100% equals 100 kilograms. So, the greengrocer has 100 kilograms of cucumbers left at the end of the day.Hide Answer Show Answer
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