Thread: New Math Question

Here's a brain-teaser that I learned in college about a year ago. Our professor said that they use this one during some Microsoft job interviews. Here it goes.

You have $100 dollars cash that you need to put into envelopes in order to give change. Your manager wants you to use the least amount of envelopes necessary to make change for any amount. How many envelopes does it take to make every correct amount of change, using the minimum amount of envelopes?

"NeoVikesTX" wrote:

Here's a brain-teaser that I learned in college about a year ago. Our professor said that they use this one during some Microsoft job interviews. Here it goes.

You have $100 dollars cash that you need to put into envelopes in order to give change. Your manager wants you to use the least amount of envelopes necessary to make change for any amount. How many envelopes does it take to make every correct amount of change, using the minimum amount of envelopes?

So you can only put 1 bill in each envelope? I am confused.

Mongo say 1....................

wouldnt it be
4-20s
1-10
1-5
4-4s
so my guess is ten bills or envelopes

1 envelope filled with 100 one dollar bills.

"muchluv4smoot" wrote:

"NeoVikesTX" wrote:

Here's a brain-teaser that I learned in college about a year ago. Our professor said that they use this one during some Microsoft job interviews. Here it goes.

You have $100 dollars cash that you need to put into envelopes in order to give change. Your manager wants you to use the least amount of envelopes necessary to make change for any amount. How many envelopes does it take to make every correct amount of change, using the minimum amount of envelopes?

So you can only put 1 bill in each envelope? I am confused.

You can put as many bills as you would like in each envelope.

You must have an envelope for any amount of change the customer wants. 7 dollars, 72 dollars, 20 dollars, 1 dollar, whatever. You can combine envelopes to make combinations.

For example, you could put one dollar in 100 envelopes and make change for anything by combining envelopes, but you need to make the LEAST amount of envelopes. Hope this helps.

1 very large envelope

My brain is fried so I will have to attempt this on the morrow. All I see when I blink is AG BF DJ...................

"HerdDaVikes" wrote:

wouldnt it be
4-20s
1-10
1-5
4-4s
so my guess is ten bills or envelopes

No, sorry. Keep trying.

"muchluv4smoot" wrote:

1 envelope filled with 100 one dollar bills.

No, you cannot offer any change with just one envelope besides if the customer wants 100 dollars back.

P.S. You cannot open the envelopes.

Got it.

One with $50, one with $20, 2 with $10, one with $5, one with $4, one with $3, one with $2, and one with $1

So in other words 9 envelopes.

"muchluv4smoot" wrote:

Got it.

One with $50, one with $20, 2 with $10, one with $5, one with $4, one with $3, one with $2, and one with $1

So in other words 9 envelopes.

No... you are on the right track now though.