This ‘too absurd’ puzzle puts your mathematics skills to the test as you try to work out how much one man earned as he repeatedly bought and sold a cow. Can you figure out how much profit he earned?
Let’s dive in and see if we can solve it together!
The Puzzle: A Cow and Some Numbers
Here’s how the puzzle goes:
- You buy a cow for $800.
- You sell the cow for $1000, making a profit of $200.
- You buy the cow again for $1100, but since you already made a profit of $200 from the first transaction, your effective cost for the second purchase is reduced to $900.
- Finally, you sell the cow again for $1300, making a profit of $400 ($1300 – $900).
So, What’s the Correct Answer?
If you’ve been following along, you might have already guessed it. The correct answer to this cow math puzzle is $400. Let’s break it down step by step:
- Buy cow for $800
- Sell cow for $1000
- You now have +$200
- Buy cow back for $1100
- You now have -$900
- Sell cow again for $1300
- Total profit = $400
Did you get it?
