Oldie but goldie

PESolution · 12 Mar 2013 at 15:33

For those who haven't done this, or a variant of this in the past:

(no reading the responses until you have worked it out)

Three people enjoy a meal at a Thai restaurant. The waiter brings the bill for £30 so each person pays £10.

Later the chef realises that the bill should have only been £25 so she sends the waiter back to the table with £5. The waiter was not very good at Maths and could not figure out how to divide the £5 so he gave each person a £1 and kept £2 for himself.

So....the three people have paid £9 each for the meal.
9x3=27

The waiter kept £2
27+2 = £29

What happened to the other pound? :cool:

Stretch · 12 Mar 2013 at 15:36

Spent the money on lady boys?

HecFam · 12 Mar 2013 at 15:38

Went towards progress in the chef/waiters education in mathematics.

To avoid situations like this.

4T5 · 12 Mar 2013 at 15:41

Cameron took it.

Liquiduk · 12 Mar 2013 at 15:43

4T5 said:
Cameron took it.

This this this.

Zogger · 12 Mar 2013 at 15:47

It was stolen by lizardmen so that they could implant a special symbol onto the coin with a clue to their existence, and return it into circulation later on for us mortals to find

DiscoDave · 12 Mar 2013 at 15:49

More of a linguistic riddle than a arithmetic one regarding the tip?

3 x £9 = £27 minus the waiters £2 = £25

Gilly · 12 Mar 2013 at 15:49

Margaret Thatcher stole it.

InertProtocol · 12 Mar 2013 at 15:50

Nothing happened to it, it's still there...

elmarko · 12 Mar 2013 at 15:50

Shop had £30 from the customers.

Bill was revised to £25.

From the £30.

£25 was kept for the bill.

Of the additional £5 currently in the shops possession.

£3 was given to customers
£2 was stolen by waiter.

= £30 accounted for.

Total cost should have been £8.33r.

Am I missing anything?.

PardonTheWait · 12 Mar 2013 at 15:50

The hotel has £25, the customers each have £1, and the waiter has £2.

25+1+1+1+2=30

4T5 · 12 Mar 2013 at 15:51

Gilly said:
Margaret Thatcher stole it.

That is just going to far. :mad:

Cosimo · 12 Mar 2013 at 15:52

What missing pound....

panyan · 12 Mar 2013 at 15:53

This is such an old riddle and it is basically the way that you say it that tricks people because the maths works fine;

£25+£3+£2 = £30

£25 was the meal
£3 to each person
£2 for the waiter

DaleTheWhale · 12 Mar 2013 at 15:54

I worked it out. Thus puzzle is easy.

Maccy · 12 Mar 2013 at 15:55

Ah this one has cropped up again. People have given the answer again. Bored now!

~Dockie · 12 Mar 2013 at 16:09

At first i was like, Eh?

But now i'm all like, Ahh!

That waiter is a tealeaf

MooMoo444 · 12 Mar 2013 at 16:25

I blame weight watchers. The pounds just disappear.

Judgeneo · 12 Mar 2013 at 16:35

Could be worse

burnt-and-crumpled-fragments-of-British-fiver-GBP5-five-pound-note-after-accident-1-DHD_zpsc413b4aa.jpg

estebanrey · 12 Mar 2013 at 16:37

PESolution said:
So....the three people have paid £9 each for the meal.
9x3=27

The waiter kept £2
27+2 = £29

The top bit is what was paid, the second is what someone has. You can't add them two together. It's like saying "a man pays £3 for a beer, the pub has £3; so 3 + 3 = £6, where did the extra 3 pounds come from?", you've just introduced a third party and an extra step to make it a minus figure.

What they have (at end)
People = £3
Waiter = £2
Restaurant £25
Total: £30

What they spent
People = £27
Waiter = -£2
Restaurant £5
Total: £30