Question

Brendan is planning a trip to Germany. He is trying to decide which cities to visit during his stay. The following table shows potential cities he could visit, as well as what he expects to pay for lodging, transportation, and similar expenses in each one. All costs are given in euros (€).
City
Cost (€)
Berlin
171
Wiesbaden
263
Hanover
169
Dresden
215
Kiel
209
Stuttgart
297
Potsdam
179
Munich
159

Brendan's original plan was to visit Stuttgart, Dresden, Weisbaden, and Berlin. However, he would like to keep his costs under €860. Which change to Brendan’s travel plans would result in his staying under, but closest, to his original budget?
a.
Replace Dresden with Potsdam.
b.
Replace Stuttgart with Kiel.
c.
Replace Berlin with Munich.
d.
Replace Weisbaden with Hanover.

Answer 1

First compute his original total:
Stuttgart 297 + Dresden 215 + Wiesbaden 263 + Berlin 171 = 946 € (over the €860 budget).

Evaluate each replacement (new total):

a) Replace Dresden (215) with Potsdam (179): 946 − 215 + 179 = 910 € (still over budget)
b) Replace Stuttgart (297) with Kiel (209): 946 − 297 + 209 = 858 € (under budget, €2 below)
c) Replace Berlin (171) with Munich (159): 946 − 171 + 159 = 934 € (over budget)
d) Replace Wiesbaden (263) with Hanover (169): 946 − 263 + 169 = 852 € (under budget, €8 below)

The change that keeps him under €860 but closest to it is b: replace Stuttgart with Kiel (total €858).