Brain Teaser

An older sister bragged that she had 30 different new outfits to wear to school. Her younger brother said, "That's not true. You have 3 pairs of jeans, 5 shirts, and 2 pairs of shoes. There's no way that makes 30 different outfits. You have only 10 outfits." Who is correct and why?

Answer: The older sister is correct. There are 30 different ways to mix and match the pants, shirts, and shoes. One pair of jeans goes with 5 shirts, so there are 3 × 5 (or 15) jean/shirt combinations. Each of these combinations can be worn with either of 2 pairs of shoes, which makes 15 × 2 (or 30) different outfits.

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