A book costs $1 plus half its price. How much does it cost?

Your answer:

  • $0.50

  • $1

  • $1.50

  • $2

  • $3

  • Other (please respond)


Results are only viewable after voting.
So far the majority of you are answering it wrong.

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The equation would be 1+ x/2 so if the book is supposed to cost 1 dollar than it would be 1+ 1/2 so 1.5 dollars
 
The equation would be 1+ x/2 so if the book is supposed to cost 1 dollar than it would be 1+ 1/2 so 1.5 dollars
Not quite. The equation would be 1 + x/2 = x. Its price is represented by x, so of course half its price would be x/2.

Subtract x/2 from both sides, you get 1 = x - x/2.
x/1 - x/2 = x/2, so now you get 1 = x/2.
Then multiply both sides by 2, so x = 2.
 
Not quite. The equation would be 1 + x/2 = x. Its price is represented by x, so of course half its price would be x/2.

Subtract x/2 from both sides, you get 1 = x - x/2.
x/1 - x/2 = x/2, so now you get 1 = x/2.
Then multiply both sides by 2, so x = 2.
If I bought a book for a dollar plus half its price and the cashier charged me 2 dollars while showing me this equation I would leave a 1 star review.
 
Not quite. The equation would be 1 + x/2 = x. Its price is represented by x, so of course half its price would be x/2.

Subtract x/2 from both sides, you get 1 = x - x/2.
x/1 - x/2 = x/2, so now you get 1 = x/2.
Then multiply both sides by 2, so x = 2.
That’s assuming that X = the final price equals the book's price (which it doesn’t). The book's price was revealed at $1, leading to a formula of X + X/2 = Y, with Y being the final price. We know X = 1, meaning 1+ 1/2 = Y, or Y= 1.5
 
Not quite. The equation would be 1 + x/2 = x. Its price is represented by x, so of course half its price would be x/2.

Subtract x/2 from both sides, you get 1 = x - x/2.
x/1 - x/2 = x/2, so now you get 1 = x/2.
Then multiply both sides by 2, so x = 2.
How can x be the original price and the final price?
There are 2 variables
Unless I'm just missing something
 
This is actually a language question, making the answer ambiguous. It doesn't state if there is a sale or not, but the phrase "half its price" would typically be associated with sales. In this case the particular sale could/would be "a book is half its (normal) price + 1dollar" aka "a dollar plus half its price". A strange wording, but not an all too irregular range for pricing books in sales.

All we can say is the (current) price is x/2 + 1, but not that this necessarily equates to (its standard) x.

Tldr: I'm too lazy to do math
 
This is actually a language question, making the answer ambiguous. It doesn't state if there is a sale or not, but the phrase "half its price" would typically be associated with sales. In this case the particular sale could/would be "a book is half its (normal) price + 1dollar" aka "a dollar plus half its price". A strange wording, but not an all too irregular range for pricing books in sales.

All we can say is the (current) price is x/2 + 1, but not that this necessarily equates to (its standard) x.

Tldr: I'm too lazy to do math
You can either read it as "A book costs ($1 plus half its price)", where the book costs $2, or "(A book costs $1) plus half its price", where it equals $1.5. The first reading makes more sense to me, but I'll take either. My local library sells paperbacks for $5 nowadays.
 
You can either read it as "A book costs ($1 plus half its price)", where the book costs $2, or "(A book costs $1) plus half its price", where it equals $1.5. The first reading makes more sense to me, but I'll take either. My local library sells paperbacks for $5 nowadays.
I'm arguing that limiting the possible meaning of the sentence to those two options is making assumptions you can't make out that singular sentence alone, without any context, for if example if there is a particular sale that would explain its somewhat weird wording
 
Great discussion so far. This is very similar to my class earlier.

To guide some of you, ask yourself if you are equating cost == price, and if so, why?
 
I know the answer. I just got out of my Logic class and this is what we spent the entire lecture discussing. I was shocked at how many answers people came up with. So now I am asking here.
Great discussion so far. This is very similar to my class earlier.

To guide some of you, ask yourself if you are equating cost == price, and if so, why?
if you're spending an entire university lecture trying to solve x = 1 + x/2 then i think you gotta stop worring about if cost = price and start worrying about if tuition fees = course value, you're getting scammed brother.
 
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