Multiple choice general knowledge math & puzzles

On a nice summer day, two tourists visit the Dutch city of Gouda. During their tour through the center they spot a cosy terrace. They decide to have a drink and, as an appetizer, a portion of hot "bitterballs" (bitterballs are a Dutch delicacy, similar to croquettes). The waiter tells them that the bitterballs can be served in portions of 6, 9, or 20. The Question: What is the largest number of bitterballs that cannot be ordered in these portions?

  1. 43

  2. 46

  3. 76

  4. 79

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

This is a Frobenius Coin Problem. The largest number that cannot be formed by 6, 9, and 20 is 43. All numbers greater than 43 can be formed by combinations of these three integers.

AI explanation

To solve this problem, we can use a concept called the "Frobenius coin problem." In this problem, we want to find the largest number that cannot be expressed as a sum of multiples of given numbers.

In this case, the given numbers are 6, 9, and 20. We want to find the largest number of bitterballs that cannot be ordered in these portions.

Let's analyze the given options:

Option A) 43 - This option is the correct answer. We can express 43 as a sum of multiples of 6, 9, and 20. For example, we can order 6 bitterballs (6 * 7 = 42) and add an extra 1 bitterball to make a total of 43.

Option B) 46 - We can express 46 as a sum of multiples of 6, 9, and 20. For example, we can order 9 bitterballs (9 * 5 = 45) and add an extra bitterball to make a total of 46.

Option C) 76 - We can express 76 as a sum of multiples of 6, 9, and 20. For example, we can order 20 bitterballs (20 * 3 = 60), 9 bitterballs (9 * 1 = 9), and 6 bitterballs (6 * 1 = 6) to make a total of 76.

Option D) 79 - We can express 79 as a sum of multiples of 6, 9, and 20. For example, we can order 20 bitterballs (20 * 3 = 60), 9 bitterballs (9 * 1 = 9), and 6 bitterballs (6 * 1 = 6) to make a total of 79.

Therefore, the correct answer is option A) 43. This option is correct because it is the largest number that cannot be ordered in portions of 6, 9, or 20.