Problem Solving

BTGmoderatorLU wrote:Source: EMPOWERgmat

Three men sit at a table. One dollar is placed in front of each of them. When a buzzer sounds, the first man to touch the money in front of him keeps the money that is in front of him, while the other two receive nothing. If none of the three men touches the money in front of them, then the amount of money doubles for the next round. After five rounds of this activity, what is the maximum amount of money that any one man could receive?

A. $4
B. $5
C. $10
D. $15
E. $16
The OA is E

Let's see what happens if a man waits until the last (5th) round to take the money.

Round #1: $1 placed in front of the man (but he doesn't take it)
Round #2: Now, $2 placed in front of the man (but he doesn't take it)
Round #3: Now, $4 placed in front of the man (but he doesn't take it)
Round #4: Now, $8 placed in front of the man (but he doesn't take it)
Round #5: Now, $16 placed in front of the man, and this time he takes it

So, it's POSSIBLE for 1 man to receive $16, but is is possible to receive MORE THAN $16?
Fortunately, we need not concern ourselves with this question, since $16 is the biggest possible answer choice.

So, the correct answer must be E

Cheers,
Brent