Since the report said exactly 3 cookies were sold, and the prices were 1, .75, .5, and .25, I get only 3 possibilities: 1+.25+.25, .75+.5+.25 and .5+.5+.5 You obviously can't have more than one of either 1 or .75. Once you get 1, you can't have either .75 or .5. Once you get .75, you have to get another .75 in 2 pieces, and the only way to do that is with .5+.25. If you start with .5, you have to make up 1 with only 2 pieces left, but you've already eliminated the case with .75, so you have only one way with cookies <= .5. I think that there is an elegant way to do this with generating functions, but I can't recall it right now. At 09:45 AM 9/25/03 -0700, John McCarthy wrote:
Texas University Shuts Down Bake Sale
By Associated Press
September 24, 2003, 11:17 PM EDT
DALLAS -- Southern Methodist University shut down a bake sale Wednesday in which cookies were offered for sale at different prices, depending on the buyer's race or gender.
The sale was organized by the Young Conservatives of Texas, who said it was intended as a protest of affirmative action.
A sign said white males had to pay $1 for a cookie. The price was 75 cents for white women, 50 cents for Hispanics and 25 cents for blacks. . . . The group sold three cookies during its protest, raising $1.50.
What are the possible distributions of buyers?
Will this increase interest in politics among math students and increase interest in math among politically minded students.