Teacher forces student to do math to unlock phone

The title caption reads: “A classmate was caught using his phone in maths. The teacher took his phone and set a passcode. He gave him this back with his phone and said good luck unlocking it.”

Passcode problem

Hopefully the student was the guy who sits in the back and goofs off because the class is too easy. [via @FryRsquared]

30 Comments

  • You can tell the problem was set by a math teacher because of the spelling. Or maybe the teacher was thinking of the dolor the student would feel while solving the problem.

  • Myrddin Emrys August 3, 2013 at 9:41 am

    High school math, fun times.

    So, first to find the inflated value of the car… wait. Doesn’t matter, the loan amount remains fixed because the inflated trade-in of the car doesn’t go on the loan. So the entire math about that is a red herring.

    $21800 – $600 cash, – $500 trade in = $20700 loan. Plug that into a loan calculator, and I get $652 and change, making his password 0652.

  • Ah, but you see, today all Math tests and Exams have to be a bit convoluted. Students must be able to read and then pick out te bits of information needed to be able to do the math problem. Also, they would not have access to a loan calculator. And then they have to not only show their work, but also write – in sentences – how they did it.

    • And the question asks for the inflated price. I don’t see what it has to do with the password, but it says to answer for it.

  • You need to know the inflated price because the car dealer will take a hit otherwise. So the price of the car must increase along with the trade-in price. That’s an increase of $1200 in both cases.

    • Nah, the inflated prices don’t affect the starting principal of the loan – they cancel out.

      I did do it the hard way before I realised that, by the way, but I shouldn’t have.

  • Not so smart August 6, 2013 at 12:09 am

    Looks like no one is going to get their phone unlocked.

  • Below is my step-by-step attempt.

    Cost of the car: $21,800
    Tradein & Cash: $500 + $600 = $1,100
    Deposit 22% of car value: $21,800 * .22 = $4,796
    Difference to be added to FINANCING: $4,796 – $1,100 = $3,696
    Finance Value of the Car/ Inflated Price: $21,800 + $3,969 = $25,496
    Rate: 10% in 4 years or 48 months

    Equation needed: Monthly payment = P(r/12) / (1 – (1 + r/12)^-m)
    P – your finance amount
    r – rate in decimal
    m – length of loan term in months

    25,496(0.1/12) / (1 – (1 + .1/12)^-48)
    212.4667 / (1 – 0.671432) = 646.645 or 647

    The code is: 0647

    Additional items of interest are below:
    What’s the “real-price” in 4 years? 646.65 * 48 = $31,039
    What’s the interest in 4 years? 31,039 – 25,496 = $5,543

  • Just get the puk code and set a new pin.

  • Here’s what I came up with. Could be way off.

    Initial purchase price = 21800
    Initial trade in value = 600
    Initial Cash = 500

    Required Down payment = 21800 * 10% = 2180
    Amount to inflate = 2180(required down payment) – 500 (cash) – 600 (initial trade in value) = 1080
    Inflated purchase price = 21800 (initial purchase price) + 1080 (amount to inflate) = 22880
    Inflated trade in value = 600 (initial trade in value) + 1080 (amount to inflate) = 1680

    Amount financed = 22880 (inflated purchase price) – 1680 (inflated trade in) – 500 (cash) = 20700

    Interst amount = 20700 (amount financed) * 22% (flat interest rate) = 4554
    Total repayment amount = 20700 (amount financed) + 4554 (interest amount) = 25254

    Total monthly payment = 25254 (total repayment amount) / 48 (monthly payments) = 526.125
    Rounded monthly payment = 526 (nearest dollar)

    unlock code = 0526

    • Two problems there, Brian. The first is that the inflated deposit has to be 10% of the inflated price, and instead you’ve used 10% of the uninflated price. Second, you’ve left out interest payments (22% p/a).

      • Pat – I think that would result in an infinite loop of inflating the price to get to the 10% down payment. Granted, it’s been a long day, and I reserve the right to be wrong. haha.

        Great puzzle though.

      • Nah – the price increases faster than the deposit – from memory, I think they work out when the price is $23k and the deposit is $2300 (but don’t quote me on that).

  • I think you solved it. But it’s a trick question.

    Fully list the terms and everything becomes clear.

    Amount financed =
    = inflated price – inflated tradein – cash
    = (carprice + x) – (tradein + x) – cash
    = carprice + x – tradein – x – cash

    the x’s cancel eachother out, the amount financed never changes, the unlock code is indeed 0526

    • You’re right about the canceling – I didn’t realise that until after I’d done it – but you’ve left out interest payments.

  • You guys from the US shouldn’t by so much stuff with credits…

  • neenertronics August 10, 2013 at 6:34 am

    Inflate car price to 22000 (nice even number)
    10% deposit required: 2200
    Inflate trade-in to 1600, plus cash deposit 600 equals 2200
    New car price minus deposit equals 19800
    19800 times interest rate 22% equals 4356
    19800 plus interest owed 4356 equals 24156
    24156 divided by 4 years equals 6039
    6039 divided by 12 months equals 503.2…
    Code is 0503

    • So you increase the cost of the purchased vehicle $200 but the trade inflates by $1100? Don’t know a car dealer that would do that. If you do, they are about to get a lot of business.

  • I get same answer as Myrddin.

    N is the amount the price of the car and the value of the trade-in is inflated by. What the dealer gives up in the inflated trade-in, he makes back in the inflated price.

    $21,800 + N = inflated car price
    0.1 * inflated car price = inflated deposit
    inflated deposit – $1,100 = N

    Therefore,

    0.1*(21,800+N)-1100=N which solves as N=1200

    Inflated car price = $21,800 + $1,200 = $23,000
    Inflated trade-in price = $500 + $1,200 = $1,700

    To calculate monthly payments, I assume interest is calculated monthly

    $23,000, 48 months, 22%/12 = 1.833%/mo

    I get payments of $652.18 per month.

    Code is 0652

    • Slight correction, the amount financed was calculated from $20,700, not $23,000. The answer is unchanged

      • Marc – so close, but it is in fact 526.125 – $526 a month, and a final payment of $532, I presume.

        It’s a flat rate loan, so (20,700×1.22)/48.

  • Actually, you need to use a loan calculation formula to correctly apply the monthly principal coming off.

    X=P*[(r*(1+r)^n)/(1+r)^n-1]

    X is monthly payment, P principal, r interest rate (monthly), n term length (months)

    Monthly payment comes out to 652.

    Also inflated price of car is $23,000:

    (21800+x)*.1=600+500+x

  • What is the core of this?
    Payment+Tradein Payment+Tradein + X = (carprice + X)*0,1
    Put in the values and solve for X
    600+500 + X = (21,800 + X) * 0,1
    X = 2,180 +0,1 X – ,1100
    0,9 X = 1,080
    X = 1,200
    -> Inflated Tradein = 1,100 + 1,200 = 2,300
    -> Inflated Carprice = 21,800 + 1,200 = 23,000 (-> Inflated Tradein is indeed 10% of this)

    Amount to finance:
    Inflated Car price – Inflated Trade in + Flate rate
    = 23,000 – 2,300 + (23,000-2,300)*0,22
    = 20,700 + 4,554
    = $25,254 Total Loan value

    So payment for 48 months is
    25,524 / 48 = 526,125
    —–> PIN is 0526
    Like previous comments said already