While walking in a park, one morning, I found a Hundred Rupee note on one of the park benches. I picked it up, noted the number and took it home.

In the afternoon the plumber called on me to collect his bill. As I had no other moey at home, I settled his account with the Hundred Rupee note that I had found.

Later I came to know that the plumber paid the note to his milkman to settle his monthly account , who paid it to his tailor for the garments he had made.

The tailor in turn used the money to buy an old sewing machine, from a woman who lives in my neighbourhood. This woman incidentally, had borrowed Hundred Rupees from me sometime back to buy some household appliance. She, remembering that she owed me a Hundred Rupees, came and paid the debt.

I recognized the note as the one that I had found on the park bench, and on careful examination, I discovered that the note was counterfeit.

How much was lost in the whole transaction and by whom ?

(In reply to SOLUTION by levik)

But Levik at the same time I would like to ask you isn't that statement correct that all the transactions are invalid because the man still has to pay his plumber the amount that he was supposed to pay. Similarly, the plumber owes the same amount to his milkman, the milkman to his tailor, the tailor to the lady and the lady to you.

The note being a counterfeit one, everyone owes the other the same amount what they owed before the author found the note.

Or, should I leave the solution as it is and add a few more lines as what you have mentioned in your comment ? Will that do ?

Posted by Ravi Raja on 2003-03-26 03:38:48