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        riddles >> easy >> I could be a millionaire 
        
(Message started by: BNC on Jan 5^th, 2003, 10:15am)

Title: I could be a millionaire
Post by BNC on Jan 5^th, 2003, 10:15am

I was selling riddle books in my shop the other day. A guy I know well came into the store and asked for the price of the books. I told him they are $10 a book.
The guy smiled at me and said: “I know a place where I can sell the books I buy from you for $5 a book. So, naturally, if I’ll do it, I could be a millionaire in no time”

I know this guy. He knows his arithmetic. And I know he wasn’t joking either. How come?

Title: Re: I could be a millionaire
Post by Jeremiah Smith on Jan 5^th, 2003, 10:21am

Maybe he's already a millionaire...?

Title: Re: I could be a millionaire
Post by BNC on Jan 5^th, 2003, 10:29am

easy indeed... ;D ;D ;D

Title: Re: I could be a millionaire
Post by Cyrus on Jan 6^th, 2003, 9:05am

Hahahaha. I thought about this one for 20 minutes and couldn't get it. Then I scrolled down and realized that I need to think less. Sometimes the most obvious answer is the toughest to find.

Title: Re: I could be a millionaire
Post by redPEPPER on Jan 6^th, 2003, 2:45pm

Hmm, not too fond of that answer. The guy states "So, naturally, if I’ll do it, I could be a millionaire in no time". This is intentionally misleading, as it's phrased to make us think "being a millionaire" is a consequence of "doing it". So the guy IS joking. Or ... he's bad at arithmetics. But then how did he become a millionaire ;)

Title: Re: I could be a millionaire
Post by Jeremiah Smith on Jan 6^th, 2003, 2:53pm

ORRR... the guy is a billionaire, and since that transaction would make him lose money in the long run, he would end up as a mere millionaire.

Title: Re: I could be a millionaire
Post by towr on Jan 7^th, 2003, 12:41am

Or, if you remember the laws of logic, and particularly implication, he would just never do it..
(A -> B) is true when A is false..

Anyway.. If he were to buy books there, and sell them, he may be millionair in 'no time' (now), but poor in 'some time' (future)..

An other option is 'no time' being a place/country where $5 is over a million in local currency..

Title: Re: I could be a millionaire
Post by Kozo Morimoto on Jan 7^th, 2003, 5:16pm

1) maybe he is talking about 2 different $ currencies i.e. HK$ against US$

2) maybe his sale location has government subsidies whereby the government pitches in $6 for every book sold.

Title: Re: I could be a millionaire
Post by wowbagger on Jan 8^th, 2003, 5:01am

on 01/07/03 at 17:16:08, Kozo Morimoto wrote:

1) maybe he is talking about 2 different $ currencies i.e. HK$ against US$

That was also my first non-standard answer.

Quote:

2) maybe his sale location has government subsidies whereby the government pitches in $6 for every book sold.

I really like that answer! :D

The problem with "in no time" remains, however. Which in my opinion is a hint at the intended answer.