A game consists of tossing a coin successively. There is an entry fee of Rs. 10 and an additional fee of Rs. 1 for each toss of the coin. The game is considered to have ended normally when the coin turns heads on two consecutive throws. In this case the player is paid Rs. 100. Alternatively, the player can choose to terminate the game prematurely after any of the tosses. Ram has incurred a loss of Rs. 50 by playing this game. How many times did he toss the coin?
The formula for winnings/losses is:
Winnings/Losses=-10-(Tosses)+Normal Ending Bonus (if the game ends normally)
-50=-10-(Tosses)+Normal Ending Bonus Received
Then
Tosses=40+Normal Ending Bonus Received
A. The game ended normally.
We know that if the game ends normally, you get 100 RS
Tosses=40+100=140
SUFFICIENT
B. The total number of tails obtained in the game was 138.
We know that he tossed at least 140 times BUT we don't know if:
A. There were heads in between some tails tosses
B. There are conditions to end the game other than flipping 2 heads (and we don't know if these have certain bonuses)
INSUFFICIENT
Answer is A
Key part here is realizing that with Statement 1, there could be other situations that may result in the game ending but these situations aren't discussed by the problem.