Question 94722
Three people have already guessed, and their guesses are 315, 350, and 327. Now here's the big clue: One of the guesses is off by 26, one is off by 14, and one is close, but off by 9 candies?
How many candies are in the jar?
:
The "Brute Force" method
:
x +/- 14 = 315; x = 301 or 329
x +/- 26 = 350; x = 376 or 324
x +/- 9  = 327; x = 336 or 318
No matches here:
:
x +/- 14 = 327; x = 341 or 313
x +/- 26 = 315; x = 341 or 289
x +/-  9 = 350; x = 359 or 341
:
No need to go any further: the number is 341
:
There is probably a more elegant method, but have to admit, I can't come up with it.