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Where Knowledge Junkies Get Their Fix
SOLUTION:
I’ll give both correct answers:
If you include $2 bills (which are still being printed on occasion, and are still legal tender), you could have as much as $143: one $50 bill, four $20 bills, one $5 bill, and four $2 bills.
If you didn’t include $2 bills (and it’s fine if you didn’t) the maximum amount is $139: one $50 bill, four $20 bills, one $5 bill, and four $1 bills.
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I think I was too clever by half for that one. I came up with $8 – 4 $2 bills. Exact change of a $10 bill can be another $10 bill after all.
posted by erak on 1-9-2009 at 10:11 am
Aaahhh you got me. I was thinking $89 because I thought we had to include all bills. After all, 2 20s + 1 10 = 50, so I have 4 $1s, 1 $5, 1 $10, 1 $20, 1 $50. Dern.
Erak: Nice try, but 5 $1 bills make change for a $5 bill though…
posted by Bri on 1-9-2009 at 10:39 am
I got Erik’s answer as well – how is a $5 bill not considered exact change for a $5 bill? I guess I see how it wouldn’t be exchanging it for anything different, and yet that’s kinda the point.
posted by M on 1-9-2009 at 2:33 pm
Just to be safe, I checked it in the American Heritage Dictionary. “Change” in this sense is a verb defined as “To give or receive the equivalent of (money) in lower denominations or in foreign currency.”
Makes sense, I think. Giving one $5 bill for another isn’t getting change; it’s just swapping.
Of course, this all reminds me of:
http://www.hulu.com/watch/4258/saturday-night-live-first-citywide-change-bank-1
posted by Sandy Wood on 1-9-2009 at 2:39 pm
wow… I thought $189…
If I had 4 – $1, 1-$5, 1-$10, 1-$20, 1-$50, and 1-$100…
I couldn’t give change for any of those, right? Am I missing something here?
posted by kramer on 1-9-2009 at 11:49 pm
Kramer, the instruction said “no $100 or higher”
posted by WillieO on 1-11-2009 at 2:21 pm