The Jewelry Box and the Ring [a riddle/puzzle]

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Can you figure out this brain teaser?

At an auction, a woman’s ring and a jewelry box with a hand-painted ceramic top are on sale for $200.   The jewelry box is valued at $190 more than the ring.  How much is the ring worth?

 

Scroll down for the answer…

 

 

 

 

 

Answer:

 

If you said $10, you’d be incorrect!

Like most things in life, it’s not quite that simple.

This is a problem that requires setting up two equations with two unknowns to find the answer.

We know that the box (B) plus the ring (R) cost $200:

B + R = 200

The jewelry box is valued at $190 more than the ring.  That is, the price of the box (B) is equal to the price of the ring (R) plus $190:

B = R + 190

Now we can substitute the right side of the second equation in the first equation and solve for R.

R + 190 + R = 200
2 R = 200 – 190
2 R = 10
R = 10/2
R = 5

 

Therefore, the ring is worth $5

The price of the box is $190 plus $5 which is $195, and the box plus the ring add up to $200.  Everything checks out!  This is a different spin on the famous Bat and a Ball Problem.