Don’t let this issue’s Brainteasers get you tied up in knots! Sit back and relax with this invigorating round of puzzles and then be sure to impress your co-workers with your new found knowledge. If this set has you stumped, no worries just click the link at the bottom for the correct answers!
1.) Budget Fudget
On his first visit to the AutomationDirect website, a purchasing agent spent half his meager budget on a STRIDE industrial Ethernet switch, and then $5 on some cable ties*. On his second visit, he spent half the remaining budget on a Photoelectric Sensor and $10 on a Cat5E Patch Cable. On his third visit, he spent half the remaining budget on an Inductive Proximity Sensor, and $15 on a SureMotion Timing Pulley. After the three purchases, he had $5 left in that particular budget. What was the original budget amount?
*New SapiSelco cable ties now available in multiple colors and at even lower prices (as low as 1¢/tie, that’s right – just $1/100pk!)
2.) DIY Quotes!
A customer called two automation suppliers for pricing on a pushbutton and a safety switch. She was amazed when both distributors quoted the exact same prices for the two items over the phone. She asked them to fax over formal quotes for both parts, but both distributors made mistakes at this point – one subtracted the cost of the push-button from the safety switch, and quoted $44. The other multiplied the two prices and quoted $1280. What were the original, verbally-quoted prices for the two items?
Did you know you can generate your own Formal 30-day Quotes right on the AutomationDirect website? Just click the Quotes button at the top of any webstore page.
3.) Old Records/Pneu Records
Engineer Bob placed an order for a large quantity of pneumatic cylinders from AutomationDirect last year, but he promptly forgot what he bought, AND the unit price AND the quantity of the item he purchased. He did remember that the total price for the parts was $47,867, excluding tax and shipping*. His summer intern did some quick figuring, and a price check on the AutomationDirect.com website and announced that she knew exactly which item had been purchased, the quantity, and the price paid. How did she do it? Bonus: what was the price and quantity of the item?
** Also note that you can review all your past purchases online also – but that’s NOT how the intern solved this problem!
Credit to Henry Ernest Dudeney (1857 – 1930) for inspiration on this month’s puzzles. He was a very interesting fellow. Learn more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Dudeney
