A simple 3rd grade math problem
 

Fax has a garage sale. The cost of the sweater is $18. Fax sells it for $21. A person buys the sweater and gives Fax a $100 bill. Fax goes to his neighbor for change. He gives the buyer $79 back. The next day the neighbor tells Fax that the $100 is faked. Fax gives the neighbor back $100. How much money does Fax lose?

Ummm 176 dollars?

If a 747 is sitting on a conveyor belt...

$97?
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But the answer is $97.

$197.

Considering that FAX is a mad genius, he didn't lose a dime. See when he went to his neighbors house he was really just getting his own fake money to give the ass hat that gave him the fake $100. And he also "forgot" to tell said ass hat that the sweater was infected with burning Aids. It was a win win for FAX.

$97

$200, or $197, or "can't quite determine", depending on how you read this.

$100 to the neighbor who he had to give a real $100 in replacement of the fake.

$79 in real money paid to the jerk who passed off the phony bill.

And $18 or $21, the value of the sweater that he's lost without getting a (legitimate) dime for it.

The confusion is that the OP says the "cost" of the sweater is $18 but someone pays $21 for it. The real number depends on what the real value of the sweater is to a legimate buyer paying in real cash. If the real value of teh sweater is $18, then the answer if $197. If $21, then $200. If something else, then $100+$79+[something else]

Some of you apparently don't realize the only time any money comes out of FAX's pocket during this transaction is when he gives the neighbor $100.

Yes, he bought the sweater originally, but he ended up with $21 of real cash in his pocket after he gave the buyer his change.

It's $97.

Depends... did he give back the fake $100 bill or was it just $100?

That money came out of the neighbor's pocket, not FAX's

Let me set this up in an equation for you:

48÷2(9+3)

Now what do you think the answer is?

LMAO That was the first thing I thought of when I saw this thread. Here we go again...

The difference here is that there is an indisputable answer.

The first $100 is not FAX's, it's his neighbor's. FAX loses $18 when the guy takes the sweater, but gets $100 from his neigbor. He then gives $79 to the guy. At this point, he is up $3. Once he gives $100 to his neighbor, he is then down $97.

The answer is don't take 100$ bills at garage sells, or from someone you met on Craigslist.

Wtf?
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Maths are hard.

I figured total out of pocket cost only because the real value of the sweater isn't determined because a crook paid for it with fake money.

2

Yep I follow. Math (or logic) fail.

The exchange with the neighbor just a red herring. He gave $100 and got $100, so he's out the $79 plus the value of the sweater. $18 cash out of pocket for that, so $97.

Should've realized that he couldn't have lost more than the amount of the fake bill.

umm.. that sucks, cause the only one who came out losing money is fax, especially if the neighbor is lying. He needs to move to Olathe, where its always sunny.

I was thinking it was 288. :D

Well, did he lose the cost of the sweater, or the market value?

But did it happen in mid air? Because that would change things I think.

$97

That assumes that the $100 given back to the neighbor is the same fake $100 bill. That is not clear in the OP.

2

- $18 for the sweater
+ $100 bill
- $79 given in change
- $100 returned to neighbor

-$97 is your answer

$200.00

I'LL KILL YOU!!!

I’d like to see the 3rd grade test where this question appears.

-$18.00 purchase of sweater.

$100 dollar bill directly to neighbor. He is still out $18.
Receives $100 singles back. Not his money yet.
Gives $79 singles away to the purchaser.
Keeps $21 singles.

Difference between purchase of sweater -$18 and $21 kept, is +$3.

Next day neighbor wants money back. He gives $100 to neighbor. That leaves him with -$97 and a bogus Franklin.

OP isn't perfectly clear: "How much money does Fax lose?"

As Fax's attorney I'd argue market value.

Plus this was clearly a fraudulent and deceptive act, entitling Fax to double or triple damages under consumer protection law. Plus attorneys fees. Fax was counting on that income to help fund his efforts to recover from gastro-intestinal problems that are chronic and ongoing, which were exacerbated by the stress of being robbed as well. Potential emotional damages.

But I digress....




;)

What kind of sweater?

$79

The original value of the sweater sold at a garage sale shouldn't enter into the equation. Fax already got his $18 worth by wearing it for a while before deciding to sell it.

Just beat the neighbor with an axe handle and call it even.

More importantly... why in the hell is Fax having a garage sale during the Winter?

So he bought the sweater for $18 and then sells it at a garage sale for $21? I didn't realize that a FAX-worn jersey carried such a premium.

The answer is one of three possibilities: $79, $97, or $100. The reason why it is unclear is because the question asks how much money he loses.

If the question wants strictly cash, then the cost or market value of the sweater is not relevant, he lost $79 in cash. If the sweater counts as "money", then it is either $97 or $100, depending on whether we count the cost of the sweater, or we assume he could have sold it for $21 to someone else and count the market value of the sweater.

The exchange with the neighbor is in there just to confuse you, just pretend the seller had $79 in his pocket to hand out as change.

Vagueness aside, I'll count the sweater as money and use market value. So, $100

In real terms he's out $79 and 1 sweater.

That's inarguable.

If you want to try to determine the value of the sweater then the answer starts with "it depends..."

We won't know for sure because the guy with an IQ of 159 deleted his post.

I was trying to figure out who would buy any sweater from a garage sale for $21. Then, I realized that the answer was pretty obvious: The type of person that carries fake $100 bills around.

What did he lose?

He lost 18 dollars in a sweater, plus he had to give away a $100 dollar bill

(gross losses = $118)

What did he 'gain' ? $21 dollars

He is out NET $97 bucks i guess but i doubt the sweater is worth as much as it cost to begin with

I don't recall doing/learning this type of problem or anything at all similar to it when I was in 3rd grade.

New math out since then, they just discovered it.

I wasn't involved in a lot of garage sales back in those days.

FAX

$3

This happen on an episode of Sanford & Son. True story :-)

He would have been out of $79 for the change, $100 for replacement of the faked bill and $18 worth of merchandise. All he would have gained was the $21. $158.

Thats the same answer Lamont gave Fred







BIG DUMMY :D

You can't count both the $79 and the $100 as costs. The neighbor gave him the $79, (as well as another $21).

Neighbor gave him $100 in increments that break down to $79 and $21, he gave $100 back to the neighbor. The transactions with the neighbor are a wash, and should be ignored. Its easier to assume he had $79 in his pocket when the guy bought the sweater.

The answer is $28

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You are making this way too hard. Assign the fake bill a value of zero.

He received a fake bill. ($0)
He gave away a sweater (minus one sweater)
He traded fake bill for $100 (plus $100)
He gives the customer change (minus $79)
He reimburses neighbor (minus $100)

Add it up: $0 + $100 - $79 - $100 - sweater

He is out $79 plus whatever value you assign to the sweater.

Why would the neighbor tell Fax the bill was counterfeit? He's up a sweater and $79 vs. his original position.

$2145

The buyer and neighbour are different people

Then why did the neighbor get $100 back??

Yes I know. I jumped in the shower and all I could do was think about this poor man and his sweater. I came to the $79 answer myself and hoped to jump on the website, erase my post and escape without penalty.

Alas that isn't the case.

He spent $18 on the sweater. -18
He gained 0 by receiving a fake $100 bill. +0
He gained $100 worth of change from the neighbor. +100
He gave the customer $79. -79
He had to give neighbor back $100. -100

-18 + 0 + 100 - 79 - 100 = -97

He is out $97.

did Fax get his sweater back?

And why would Fax give the neighbor/buyer back a legit $100? The buyer was passing around a counterfeit bill. If anything, Fax should be receiving $79 back and the sweater.

Let's not go pulling threads on this one.

heh, I assume you are just messing with us.... right?

Why would Fax go to the buyer to change the hundred that the buyer just gave him?

Why did Fax sell his neighbor's sweater?

Fax could have used one of those markers to detect counterfeit bills. Of course, if the sweater buyer was some hood rat, she would have come over the counter (two sawhorses with a sheet of plywood covered in an old tablecloth) at which point Fax would have had to go "steel pipe" on her ass.


The ensuing legal proceedings would likely cost Fax considerably, but its hard to put value on being known in your neighborhood as " bad, bad, Fax Brown".

Lost amidst the conflict in this thread is the newly discovered fact the Msmith is a Fax mult.