Sunday Afternoon Maths XLII
Posted on 2015-04-19
The taxman
Source: New York Times
In a very strange country, the tax system works as follows.
£1, £2, £3 up to £12 are available.
You pick an amount. You keep this amount, but the taxman takes any factors of it. You cannot pick any amount without a factor.
This continues until you can take no more money. The taxman gets any remaining money.
For example, you might play as follows:
- Take £12. Taxman gets £1, £2, £3, £4, £6.
- Take £10. Taxman gets £5.
- You cannot take anything. Taxman gets £7, £8, £9, £11.
In this example, you end with £22 and the taxman ends with
£56.
Is it possible to get more money than the taxman? What is the most you can get?
If you enjoyed these puzzles, check out Advent calendar 2023,
puzzles about folding tube maps, or a random puzzle.
puzzles about folding tube maps, or a random puzzle.