Brain Teaser - Can you explain how this works without using algebra?

It depends on the cost of the item, doesn’t it?

You mean that when an item is 8,35, you give a paper (worth ten), a quarter and a dime, and you get a coin (worth two) in return?

@rebbel but the question is saying you don’t use the 35 cents. Or, that is how I read it?

I don’t want to sound stupid, but it’s a dollar right? I was awful at algebra and I am years away from my last math class. Are you looking for a reason it’s a dollar?
I taught my kids simple math using beans and coins at the kitchen table. I’m having a hard time explaining it with words and no pennies in front of me.

@JLeslie You are right.
@rebbel Read (better) before you answer.

You will end up with a dollar minus the cents portion of the price additional coin money.

@Yetanotheruser, I thought they said they had enough change, they just used paper money instead.

@Judi Yes, (Let’s see, no algebra…) the question is “how much more change would you end up with”

You would end up with the amount of change you would get from the dollar.

Since I agree with Judi about the answer—you will end up with a dollar’s worth more change in your pocket than if you had given the cashier your change—I guess I’d explain it this way:

Suppose you paid only with bills and let the cashier give you your change. Now say that you want to buy a dollar bill from the cashier. You can take the change that the cashier just gave you and add enough change from your pocket to buy that dollar bill (notice that this will be the same as the “cents” part of the purchase price). Now you have one dollar less in change. Well, you can do the same thing by just giving the cashier that same amount of change from your pocket along with the paper money in the first place. The cashier will give you back an extra dollar in paper money, and you’ll have a dollar less change in your pocket.

@Harp Let’s look at the question again: How much more change would you end up with?”

Suppose I had 30 cents in my pocket, and the price was $1.30. If I gave the clerk $2.00, and received 70 cents in change, I would end up with 70 cents more in change than when I started.

Then the explination would be $1.00 minus the change in your pocket. (Did I just do algebra? If so, alert the presses because I think I got a D)

You will end up with 100 – the change you already have extra, because whatever the price of the item is you are giving the cashier 100 more pennies less the change amount that you have.

I wasn’t think I have the perfect change in my pocket, just “enough.” But yes, if you have the perfect change you would wind up with a dollar’s worth of change.

@Yetanotheruser Yes, but the question isn’t “how much more change than when you started?”, it’s “how much more change than if you had used your change?” The net difference would be $1.

Yeah, “more change.” I still go back to we don’t know unless we know theh amount of the item we are buying.

I believe my answer is the correct one.

For some reason I thought @Yetanotheruser was the ASKER. I read the question again after @Harp ‘s last post and stand by my first answer.

@ JUdi Jinx! We were typing at the same time.

@Harp

The total amount of change I will have in my pocket will be (the amount of change I had to start with) plus (the amount of change I receive) which will equal $1.00.

So, the answer to the question “How much more…” is the amount of change I receive.

Here’s how I understand the question:

_”...you have enough change to cover the cents portion of the bill” = you have at least enough to cover the cents portion, possibly more. We don’t know.

“How much more change will you end up with if you pay only using paper than if you used your change” = We’re presented with two scenarios: A) You pay with only bills and pocket the change, and B) You pay some change from your pocket and get only bills in return. Then we’re asked what would be the net difference in the amount of change in your pocket between the two scenarios.

I think the implication was that you have only enough change to cover the cost of the item and the question is asking how much more change you will have after paying with bills only. If you interpreted it your way, than your answer is correct.

LostinPardise – it’s your question, where are you? Oh, I guess you’re Lost in…

You will wind up with $1 minus the cents portion of the bill in additional change. The fact that you have enough change in your pocket to begin with is a red herring.

Suppose I have $1.35 in my pocket in assorted change, and the bill comes to $2.70. I pay with bills, handing over $3, and I get 30 cents more—or $1 minus $0.70.

Suppose I have $0.37 in my pocket, and the bill comes to to $2.95. I pay $3, and get $0.05 back—or $1 minus $0.95.

I am sorry if my question was ambiguous. @Harp ‘s interpretation is what I had in mind.

I came up with this as a way of trying to understand why you can accumulate a whole lot of loose change. Note that one thing that follows is that if you have enough change to cover and you don’t use it, you will end up with at least a dollar in change.

The constancy of the dollar amount seemed puzzling at first. We are only doing some simple addition and subtraction, so there has to be a simple explanation. This is what I came up with.

If you pay only with paper when you have enough change to cover, you are going to end up with a dollar less in paper than if you used the change. If something costs $5 + some odd cents, if you pay using bills, you are going to need $6 in paper to cover the cost as compared to only needing $5 in bills if you use the change. Now if in the one case you have $1 less in paper and in both cases the total amount that you have is the same, it follows as surely as night follows day that you will have to have $1 more in change to compensate.

I carry a debit card.

@Allie GA. I use my credit card. Probably why we, the collective, had so much trouble with the question, who uses cash anymore?