By Emily Harper • February 27, 2026 • Share
A Math Puzzle for the Inquisitive Mind: The Cow
An excellent brain teaser, this cow-themed arithmetic riddle has been circulating online. We should get in and figure it out together.
The Obstacle: Picture this: you spend $800 on a cow and make $1,000 when you sell it. After some time has passed, you reinvest $1,100 in the cow and make $1,300 from its sale.
In all, how much money did you earn? This question has left many scratching their heads. At first glance, the riddle seems straightforward, but there’s more to it than meets the eye.
The first transaction seems simple. You buy a cow for $800 and sell it for $1,000. That gives you a profit of $200. Easy enough, right?
But then, you decide to reinvest. You buy the cow again, this time for $1,100, and later sell it for $1,300. Another $200 profit, it seems.
Now, the puzzle asks us to find the total earnings from these transactions.
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