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Viral Brain Teaser: Can you find out how much money the store lost?

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The cashier mistakenly gives the customer $110 in change.

Now, let’s consider how much cash the store has after this mistake:

The store initially had $100 from the sale.
After giving the customer 110inchange,thestoreisnowdown110 in change, the store is now down 110inchange,thestoreisnowdown110

Step 3: Calculating the Financial Impact

To understand the overall financial impact of this transaction, we need to consider both the sale and the change given:

The store received 100butthengaveaway100 but then gave away 100butthengaveaway110.
Therefore, the net cash flow for the store from this transaction is:
Net Cash Flow=Cash Received−Cash Given=100−110=−10\text{Net Cash Flow} = \text{Cash Received} – \text{Cash Given} = 100 – 110 = -10Net Cash Flow=Cash Received−Cash Given=100−110=−10

This indicates that the store has lost $10 in cash.

Step 4: The Value of the Product

Now, it’s crucial to consider that the customer also took the product, which has a value of $100. This means we need to factor in the cost of the product to determine the total loss to the store:

The store lost $10 in cash.
The store also lost the $100 product.
Total Loss Calculation

To calculate the total loss:

Cash loss: $10
Value of the product: $100

Thus, the total loss can be expressed as:

Total Loss=Cash Loss+Value of Product=10+100=110\text{Total Loss} = \text{Cash Loss} + \text{Value of Product} = 10 + 100 = 110Total Loss=Cash Loss+Value of Product=10+100=110

So, the store’s total loss from this transaction amounts to $110.

The Trick Behind the Teaser

continued on next page

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