How much he had initially? | Puzzles for Interview - Interview Preparation PDF Download

Introduction

Rama went on a quest to visit four temples, but he started with only a few coins in his pocket. Every time he visited a temple, his money doubled, but he also donated Rs. 100 on his way out. After visiting the fourth temple, he had no money left. The puzzle is to figure out how much money he had initially.

Assumption

Let's assume that Rama had Rs. x in his pocket at the beginning of his quest.

First Temple

When Rama entered the first temple, his money doubled to 2x. However, he donated Rs. 100 on his way out, leaving him with (2x - 100) in his pocket.

Second Temple

At the second temple, Rama's money doubled from (2x - 100) to 2(2x - 100). He donated another Rs. 100, leaving him with (4x - 300) in his pocket.

Third Temple

At the third temple, Rama's money doubled from (4x - 300) to 2(4x - 300). He donated another Rs. 100, leaving him with (8x - 700) in his pocket.

Fourth Temple

At the fourth temple, Rama's money doubled from (8x - 700) to 2(8x - 700). He donated another Rs. 100, leaving him with (16x - 1500) in his pocket.

Solution

Since Rama had no money left after visiting the fourth temple, we can equate (16x - 1500) to zero. Solving for x, we get x = 93.75. Therefore, Rama had started his quest with Rs. 93.75 in his pocket.

Conclusion

Rama's temple quest was an interesting puzzle that required basic math skills to solve. By following the calculations step by step, we were able to figure out how much money he had initially. It is a good exercise for developing problem-solving skills.