A newspaper carrier was offered the chance to earn $0.01 on the first day of a month, $0.02 on the second day, and so forth doubling every day. How much did the carrier get paid at the end of the second week?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

To calculate the total pay, we need to add up the amount earned each day over the course of two weeks, or 14 days.

On day 1, the carrier earns $0.01. 
On day 2, the carrier earns $0.02. 
On day 3, the carrier earns $0.04. 
On day 4, the carrier earns $0.08. 
On day 5, the carrier earns $0.16. 
On day 6, the carrier earns $0.32. 
On day 7, the carrier earns $0.64.

At the end of the first week, the carrier has earned a total of:
$0.01 + $0.02 + $0.04 + $0.08 + $0.16 + $0.32 + $0.64 = $1.27

On day 8, the carrier earns $1.28. 
On day 9, the carrier earns $2.56. 
On day 10, the carrier earns $5.12. 
On day 11, the carrier earns $10.24. 
On day 12, the carrier earns $20.48. 
On day 13, the carrier earns $40.96. 
On day 14, the carrier earns $81.92.

At the end of the second week, the carrier has earned a total of:
$1.27 + $1.28 + $2.56 + $5.12 + $10.24 + $20.48 + $40.96 + $81.92 = $163.83

Therefore, choice D (about $80.00) is the correct answer.

A Newspaper Carrier Was Offered the Chance to Earn $0