Missing �1

[Octavius]

Three friends go into an umbrella shop and pay for three umbrellas (one each) which cost �10 each. They hand over the �30 and go out of the shop.

Ten minutes later another friend too, needs an umbrella so goes to the same shop to buy an umbrella. When he goes up to the counter the shopkeeper says to him "three of your friends came in here earlier and brought three umbrellas. I forgot to tell them that if you buy two umbrellas you get the third half-price. I have charged them �30, they should have only paid �25. Could you please give them this �5 back?"

He hands the �5 to the gent. When he goes outside of the shop, he decides to himself that he will keep �2 pounds for himself and give each of his friends �1 each. This he does.

This means that each of the first three friends paid �9 each for their umbrellas, costing them �27 in total. Together with the �2 pounds that their other friend has kept that makes a total of �29. Where has the other �1 gone?

[TomW]

They paid �30 ang got �5 back therefore they paid �25 for the umbrellas the got �3 and the friend kept �2

Therfore total = �30. They didn't pay �27 for the umbrellas.

 

[Dsg]

Or alternatively : They "paid" �27 for the umbrellas - �25 to the shopkeeper and �2 to their "mate" !!

[iwantthatone]

httphttp://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Quizzes-and-Puzzles/ Question73359.html

[bernardo]

The wording of the question uses a very strange definition of the word "means" when it says "This means that each of the first three friends paid �9 each for their umbrellas, costing them �27 in total. Together with the �2 pounds that their other friend has kept that makes a total of �29. Where has the other �1 gone?"

It does not, of course, mean any such thing.  It means that they have paid �25 for the umbrellas, and they have had �2 stolen from them by the man.  There is no logic in adding the �2 on to the �27 to make �29, because the �2 is already contained within the �27.