Bank robbery (word problem)

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Mckenzie

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A bank was robbed and a lone robber carried the loot away in a bag. The money stolen may have consisted of $50 and $100 bills, or only $100 bills, or a combination of bills ($5,$10,$20,$50,$100).
How would I be able to figure out whether or not a person could carry any amount of money using any combination of dollar bills. Is there a general method or formula to prepare for future bank robberies?
 
Hello, Mckenzie!

Could you give us the original statement of the problem?
As given, the problem is rather silly;
. . Every statement raises more questions.

A bank was robbed and a lone robber carried the loot away in a bag. .[1]

The money stolen may have consisted of: $50 and $100 bills, or only $100 bills,
or a combination of bills ($5, $10, $20, $50, $100). .[2]

How can I figure out whether or not a person could carry any amount of money
using any combination of dollar bills. .[3]

Is there a general method or formula to prepare for future bank robberies? .[4]
Click to expand...

[1] Eyewitness accounts are often inaccurate or conflicting.
. . .Are we sure that there were not two robbers who used briefcases?

[2] That certainly narrows down the choices!
. . . All $50 and $100 bills, or
. . . All $100 bills, or
. . ."Any combination of $5, $10, $20, $50, $100 bills.

[3] They can make off with any amount which is a multiple of 5.
. . . To whom is this information desirable?
. . . Future robbers or the bank's accountants?

[4] How does this "prepare for future bank robberies"?
. . . I suggest the bank review its security measures.
 
Thank you for the replies - I did rephrase the question but here is the original.

First part of the question
A bank in Central Auckland was robbed this morning. A lone robber carried the loot away in a big leather bag. The manager of the bank said that the money stolen consisted of small bills: $5, $10, and $20. Throughout the day, some news stations have reported that the robber stole approximately
$1,000,000 in small bills, but Becky, a senior investigative reporter at Channel 10 News, thinks this is more money than one person could carry.

Becky wants to know how hard it would be for one person to carry $1,000,000 in small bills. Investigate this question to determine if it is possible.

Second part of the question

Becky knows that she will have to investigate and report on other bank robberies in the future. In other robberies, the money stolen might not consist only of small bills. For example, it might consist $50 and $100 bills, or only $100 bills, or some combination of $5, $10, $20, $50 and $100 bills. Becky would like to be able to prepare quickly for her news reports without having to ask you for help each time a bank is robbed.

Describe a general method you have developed for her to use in preparing for future bank robbery reports (using appropriate algebraic expressions) for figuring out whether or not a person could carry any amount of money, using any combination of bills.
 
I don't find your attitude very helpful...

I am not asking for the complete answer - I am simply asking for tips as to how I would approach this problem.

If I was confident enough in solving it I wouldn't have asked in the first place.

Thank you.
 
Are you saying that if you are not confident that you can solve a problem, from the start, you will not even attempt the problem? Because you did not show any attempt here. That does not sound like a productive attitude.

Since all bills (of any one currency that I know of) are the same size and weight, to determine whether or not one robber could carry them, it would seem reasonable to me to look for the least possible number of bills. And that would be if they were all of the same, highest, denomination. The highest denomination stolen was, we are told, $20 bills. How many $20 bills would it take to total $1,000,000?
 
HallsofIvy said:
Since all bills (of any one currency that I know of) are the same size and weight, to determine whether or not one robber could carry them, it would seem reasonable to me to look for the least possible number of bills. And that would be if they were all of the same, highest, denomination. The highest denomination stolen was, we are told, $20 bills. How many $20 bills would it take to total $1,000,000?
Click to expand...

That means you do not know of Indian rupees.

They are of different size and color according to their value.

Sometime ago (while ago - in early 70's) I was proudly showing off my stash of Indian money to my American friends.

And they made fun of that different size (and color).

I said - "there is a reason for it. A vast percentage of Indian population is illiterate and only way they can tell the denomination of a bill is to look at the color and size".

Next day one of my friends was not laughing so hard. Right after making fun of "my money", he went to a flea market and handed a vendor a $20 bill - thinking it was a $5 bill. He did not know how to get in touch with the vendor to correct his mistake. This was early 70's - $20 had a heft then.

I laughed so hard .......
 
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