Turns out I have two Math Wizes that amaze me.
First of all, Candace – she came up with the original “60” answer, factoring in that each button can only be pushed once. When she came to the office today to show her paper-work, she came up with “125” if each button can be pushed more than once. Keep in mind that she actually wrote out MOST of these possibilities, instead of using a formula.
Secondly, Staci – she’s a real genius. She remembered the formulas for figuring out such difficult math problems, and came up with “60” by figuring that with the first push, there are 5 choices, second push there are 4 choices and third push there are 3 choices. Multiply those together and you get 60 combinations.
She then figured the multiple pushes on the same button formula as 5X5X5 (because each button has the same 5 chances of being pushed). And she came up with “125” as the answer (though she commented that this number was “275” on accident).
So – the REAL answer is “125” different combinations to get into the Taco Bell “Employees Only” door!
I did call 1-800-TACOBELL to confirm these findings and the lady told me that this was the first time she was informed that Taco Bell’s “Employee’s Only” doors had combination locks on them. (seriously!)
