Henry Ernest Dudeney/Puzzles and Curious Problems/285 - The Teashop Check
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Puzzles and Curious Problems by Henry Ernest Dudeney: $285$
- The Teashop Check
- We give an example of the check supposed to be used at certain popular teashops.
- The waitress punches holes in the tickets to indicate the amount of the purchase.
- $\boxed {\begin{array} {rcl} \\
\tfrac 1 2 \oldpence & --- & \bullet \\ 1 \oldpence & --- \\ 1 \tfrac 1 2 \oldpence & --- \\ 2 \oldpence & --- \\ 2 \tfrac 1 2 \oldpence & --- \\ 3 \oldpence & --- & \bullet \\ 4 \oldpence & --- \\ 6 \oldpence & --- \\ 7 \oldpence & --- \\ 8 \oldpence & --- \\ 1 \shillings & --- \\
& & \\
\end{array} }$
- Thus, in the example, the two holes indicate that the customer has to pay $3 \tfrac 1 2 \oldpence$
- But the girl might, if she had chosen, have punched in any one of three other ways --
- $2 \tfrac 1 2 \oldpence$ and $1 \oldpence$, or $2 \oldpence$ and $1 \tfrac 1 2 \oldpence$, or $2 \oldpence$, $1 \oldpence$ and $\tfrac 1 2 \oldpence$
- On one occasion a waitress said, "I can punch this ticket in any one of $10$ different ways, and no more."
- Her coworker, whose customer owed a different amount, said, "Same here."
- What were the amounts of the purchases of each of their customers?
- Only one hole is allowed to be punched against any given amount.
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Sources
- 1932: Henry Ernest Dudeney: Puzzles and Curious Problems ... (previous) ... (next): Combination and Group Problems: $285$. -- The Teashop Check