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!
Here’s how the puzzle goes:
- You sell the cow again for $1300, making a profit of $400 ($1300 – $900).
- 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.
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:
- Purchase the cow for $800.
- Sell the cow for $1000.
- Net profit: +$200.
- Re-purchase the cow for $1100.
- Net profit becomes -$900.
- Sell the cow again for $1300.
- Total profit = $400.
