A Rope For Nothing - Page 2

koal · 2003-08-06, 22:07

The reel is made of wood and remains by the shopkeeper. It's worth 7$-100x2cents => 5$ ... remember: wood is very precious in ancient Boston! And I forgot to set up the following axiom: pirates give no tip to shopkeepers !

8) Anyone of you whose solution is less than or equal to 5 bucks is on the wrong track ;)

Maybeso · 2003-08-07, 00:48

I think toferc (and trif) are correct, the shopkeeper is out $5.03.

But since they beat me to that guess, I'll adjust mine.
The shopkeeper is out $3.40 in change plus
a minimum of $1.72 in rope - what he gets selling 81.5 ft. as 17 "5 ft." sections + the odd feet.
a maximum of $1.77 in rope - what he gets selling 81.5 ft. as 29 (short)yards + the odd feet.

So the shopkeeper is out between $5.12 to $5.17.
We can't be more accurate since any odd footage is charged at 2 cents/ft.

But this kinda ignores koal's statement "Suppose the rope is really worth 2 cents per foot, ..."

asdf · 2003-08-07, 00:54

Oops, I agree with $5.03

nomadicus · 2003-08-07, 05:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by koal

The reel is made of wood and remains by the shopkeeper. It's worth 7$-100x2cents => 5$ ... remember: wood is very precious in ancient Boston! And I forgot to set up the following axiom: pirates give no tip to shopkeepers !

Yeah, but the shopkeeper didn't pay $5.00 for the reel of wood. It may be worth $5 on the open market, but it had to cost less for the shopkeeper or else he would never make a profit therefore he would go out of business.
Same goes for the rope. The shopkeeper didn't pay 100x2cents unless he is selling it as a loss-leader item -- a concept that probably didn't exist in ancient Boston.

Am I being too picky here? Or does the shopkeeper work for the government?

Just my 2cents worth. 8)

eepiccolo · 2003-08-07, 13:17

It looks like the shopkeeper is going to be out of business soon, because he seems to like to sell things at cost.

Wacky · 2003-08-07, 13:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by eepiccolo

It looks like the shopkeeper is going to be out of business soon, because he seems to like to sell things at cost.

Only if you ignore his "creative" measurements.

Jwb52z · 2003-08-08, 23:13

Remember, a real yard is not 33 inches. It is 39 inches. So for every yard, he's actually cheating his customer by giving them 6 inches too few.

asdf · 2003-08-08, 23:23

No, a yard is actually 36 inches (3 feet per yard, 12 inches per foot). 39 inches is closer to a meter.

Xyzzy · 2003-08-09, 07:04

A piece of rope walks into a bar... The bartender yells at him, "Hey, get out of here! We don't serve ropes!"... So the rope sadly leaves and thinks for a bit... He then unravels his ends and ties himself up... He walks back into the bar and the bartender yells at him, "Hey! I told you to leave! We don't serve ropes here! You're a rope aren't you?", to which the rope replied, "No, I'm afraid not!"...

Fusion_power · 2003-08-12, 19:50

I come up with $5.03 as listed above presuming:
1. the shopkeeper gives back $3.40 in change.
2. the pirate made off with 81.5 feet of rope valued at $1.63

Fusion

koal · 2003-08-12, 21:33

You and all the others with 5.03 $ are right. But nomadicus is also right! The question should not be "what’s the shopkeeper’s total financial loss?", because the shopkeeper's financial circumstances were not defined.

Another question to all of you: that kind of puzzle had nothing to do with primes or factorizing or other stuff discussed here. Did anyone notice that? Is it okay to be that "off-topic" ?

8) Koal (will post some others)

P.S.: 503 is prime!!!

2003-08-12, 19:50	#21
Fusion_power Aug 2003 Snicker, AL 7×137 Posts	Stooping to the old rope lines eh? I come up with $5.03 as listed above presuming: 1. the shopkeeper gives back $3.40 in change. 2. the pirate made off with 81.5 feet of rope valued at $1.63 Fusion

2003-08-06, 22:07	#12
koal Nov 2002 Vienna, Austria 41 Posts	The reel is made of wood and remains by the shopkeeper. It's worth 7$-100x2cents => 5$ ... remember: wood is very precious in ancient Boston! And I forgot to set up the following axiom: pirates give no tip to shopkeepers ! 8) Anyone of you whose solution is less than or equal to 5 bucks is on the wrong track ;)

2003-08-07, 00:48	#13
Maybeso Aug 2002 Portland, OR USA 100010010₂ Posts	I think toferc (and trif) are correct, the shopkeeper is out $5.03. But since they beat me to that guess, I'll adjust mine. The shopkeeper is out $3.40 in change plus a minimum of $1.72 in rope - what he gets selling 81.5 ft. as 17 "5 ft." sections + the odd feet. a maximum of $1.77 in rope - what he gets selling 81.5 ft. as 29 (short)yards + the odd feet. So the shopkeeper is out between $5.12 to $5.17. We can't be more accurate since any odd footage is charged at 2 cents/ft. But this kinda ignores koal's statement "Suppose the rope is really worth 2 cents per foot, ..."

2003-08-07, 00:54	#14
asdf Sep 2002 74₈ Posts	Oops, I agree with $5.03

2003-08-07, 13:17	#16
eepiccolo Dec 2002 Frederick County, MD 562₈ Posts	It looks like the shopkeeper is going to be out of business soon, because he seems to like to sell things at cost.

2003-08-08, 23:13	#18
Jwb52z Sep 2002 2·3·7·19 Posts	Remember, a real yard is not 33 inches. It is 39 inches. So for every yard, he's actually cheating his customer by giving them 6 inches too few.

2003-08-08, 23:23	#19
asdf Sep 2002 2²·3·5 Posts	No, a yard is actually 36 inches (3 feet per yard, 12 inches per foot). 39 inches is closer to a meter.

2003-08-09, 07:04	#20
Xyzzy "Mike" Aug 2002 2⁵·257 Posts	A piece of rope walks into a bar... The bartender yells at him, "Hey, get out of here! We don't serve ropes!"... So the rope sadly leaves and thinks for a bit... He then unravels his ends and ties himself up... He walks back into the bar and the bartender yells at him, "Hey! I told you to leave! We don't serve ropes here! You're a rope aren't you?", to which the rope replied, "No, I'm afraid not!"...

2003-08-12, 21:33	#22
koal Nov 2002 Vienna, Austria 29₁₆ Posts	You and all the others with 5.03 $ are right. But nomadicus is also right! The question should not be "what’s the shopkeeper’s total financial loss?", because the shopkeeper's financial circumstances were not defined. Another question to all of you: that kind of puzzle had nothing to do with primes or factorizing or other stuff discussed here. Did anyone notice that? Is it okay to be that "off-topic" ? 8) Koal (will post some others) P.S.: 503 is prime!!!