Dafoe, The Lone Entrepreneur is a very ambitious man. He wants to make $1000 in the shortest amount of time! He starts out with $0 but is currently receiving $5 per day and he can purchase the following shops at any given time:

1-Shack. Cost: $10 Income: $5/day
2-Mall. Cost $25 Income $15/day
3-Shopping Center. Cost $150 Income $150/day

The money is always paid in at night and Dafoe can purchase as many new shops as his money allows in the mornings.

What would be the best sequence of shops to be purchased to to have a balance of $1000 on hand?

How many days would that take?

Money spent comes out of his balance and so is no longer part of the needed total balance of $1000.

(In reply to computer solution--not necessarily best by Charlie)

By a couple of extra purchases, Dafoe could come out ahead, but still not reach $1000 before day 13 with the following:

day avl prc sh ma sc  $remain
     $  typ
 1    5 0    1  0  0    5
 2   10 1    2  0  0    0
 3   10 1    3  0  0    0
 4   15 1    4  0  0    5
 5   25 2    4  1  0    0
 6   35 2,1  5  2  0    0
 7   55 2,2  5  4  0    5
 8   85 2,1  6  5  0   50
 9  155 3    6  5  1    5
10  260 3    6  5  2  110
11  515 3(q3)6  5  5   65
12  920 3(q6)6  5 11   20
13 1775 0    6  5 11 1775

The purchase of 6 shopping centers (designated 3(q6) this time) on day 12 has no effect on his day 13 total, but serves him in good stead for the future.

So the tweaking gives him only $920 by day 12--still not the $1000 he needs.

Posted by Charlie on 2006-01-31 10:02:19