tonyandkirsten.org

Given the popularity of the last puzzler, I decided to publish another one. This is a take-off of an old math problem (extra kudos to the person that identifies the original mathematician).

This previous Mothers’ Day, there were two unrelated thieves who conspired to procure last-minute gifts for their mothers. Colluding late at night on Saturday about the perfect gift, the two thieves eventually decided to steal a bottle of perfume that was the common favorite of both mothers. Now, this is expensive perfume, running around $1000 per 8 oz. bottle, and so it’s quite rare.

After breaking into five department stores, the two thieves manage to find one 8 oz. bottle. Since morning was getting close and the thieves had already pressed their luck by intruding into four other stores, they decide to simply split the bottle. Fortunately, one of the thieves had a three oz. bottle, and the other a five oz. bottle. So between the two of them, there were three bottles capable of containing: 3 oz., 5 oz., and 8 oz.

After thinking a little while, the first thief realizes that they can split the 8 oz. of perfume into two equal portions exactly. How is this possible?

So, there was once a poor college student who was quite adept at creating and solving puzzles. His name was Chris. At the end of his first year of college, Chris realized that in order to further his education, he was going to need a little more money. Thinking cheap, Chris bought a postcard to send home. After thinking about what to write, he though of a message that shows simultaneously his intelligence and his exact need. In a flourish, Chris scambles his message on the postcard and sticks it in the mail. The message was:

    SEND
  + MORE
  ------
   MONEY

After solving the puzzle, Chris’ parents promptly sent him a check for the amount specified. How much money did his parents send?