Dec 24, 2011
RAY: Last week, we had just finished the show, and Tommy and I were leaving the building. We were walking by the official NPR-sanctioned vending machines, with granola bars and the like. I had a hankering for a candy bar. I reached into my pocket, and, luckily, I had a dollar bill.
As I approached the machine with my crisp dollar bill, I notice the thing says, "Exact Change Only." The candy bar I wanted was 95 cents.
I turn to Tommy, and I say, "Can you break a buck?"
Tommy reaches into his pocket, and says, "I know I have six coins. The six coins add up to $1.15. But I can't make change for a dollar."
I say, "Huh? Can you make change for half a dollar?"
Tommy says, "No."
I then ask, "Can you make change for a quarter?"
Tommy says, "No, I can't do that either."
"How about a dime?"
"No."
"A nickel?"
"No."
So, I say, "Can you just buy me the candy bar?" To which Tommy replies, "No, I can't do that, either."
The question is, what were the six coins in Tommy's pocket?
You need to know that vending machines do not take 50 cent pieces.
Tommy has a 50 cent piece, a quarter and four dimes. You can't make change for a quarter. You can't make change for a dollar. You can't make change for a nickel or a dime.
I will admit, I haven't checked every vending machine on the planet but I did check several, and none of them would take a 50 cent coin.
TOM: I will give you a little hint though. They will take 50 cents if you turn them upside down.
RAY: Who's our winner?
TOM: The winner is Sandy Warner from Fish Haven, Idaho. Congratulations!