Student wins $110 from Host BDPA Chapter correctly answering ‘Bat and Ball‘ Algorithm Challenge a few Harvard Students get wrong…

The Question:

A bat and a ball costs $1.10. If the bat costs $1.00 more than the ball, how much does the ball cost?

The Algorithm:

price = $1.10
price = bat price + ball price
bat price = ball price + $1.00
price = ball price + (ball price + $1.00)
price = 2 x ball price + $1.00
1.10 = 2 * ball price + 1.00
(1.10 – 1.00)/2 = ball price
0.10/2 = ball price
0.05 = ball price

Verification and Validation (V&V)

price = bat price + ball price
$1.10 = $1.05 + $0.05

 The Correct Answer:    Ball Price = 5 ¢

National BDPA and local BDPA Chapters partner with Best Buy Children’s Foundation and The Geek Squad supporting technology inclusion initiatives in underserved communities, annual regional technology summits, the High School Computer Competition (HSCC), and national BDPA technology conferences.