A customer at a 7-11 store selected four items to buy, and was told that the cost was $7.11. He was curious that the cost was the same as the store name, so he enquired as to how the figure was derived. The clerk said that he had simply multiplied the prices of the four individual items. The customer protested that the four prices should have been ADDED, not MULTIPLIED. The clerk said that that was OK with him, but, the result was still the same: exactly $7.11. What were the four prices? (Do NOT count sales tax.)

(In reply to a way to the solution by exoticorn)

It's an impressive solution!

A couple of questions, though, on narrowing down the choices...

When you list
0 0 0 1 and 0 0 5 6
as the only two possible sets of ending digits, how were
0 1 5 5 and 5 5 5 6
eliminated?

Also, in "The only numbers ending in 6 are 6 (2*3) and 316 (2*2*79)," how was 36 (2*2*3*3) eliminated? ... also 576 (2*2*2*2*2*2*3*3) and 16(2*2*2*2)?

Posted by Charlie on 2003-07-12 06:43:37