maths puzzle

[lynx_effect]

A man wants to buy a gun. The gun he wants to buy is £30.
The man only has £10, so he gets two of his friends to help out.
All three go into the shop with £10, £30 in total and buy the gun.
The store assistant realises his charged them £5 too much for it and runs after them.
Realising he can make sum money, he pockets £2.
He then catches up with them and gives them the remaining £3.
That’s £1 for each of them.

So now they've only paid £9 each.
9 x 3 is 27.
Plus the £2 the shop keeper kept is £29

Where’s the extra £ gone?


It really bugs you!

[freakray]

Logic.

He charged them £30 for the gun.
He realises he should only have charged them £25
He gives them back £3 and keeps £2

They each actually only paid £8.33 for the gun, but add the £2 the shopkeeper pocketed and they paid 9.33 each.

Because the figure behind the decimal is never mentioned it fools you into wondering where the money goes.
By carefully only mentioning the round numbers throughout, without applying logic the average person will be confused by this.

[YogsVR4]

Originally Posted by freakray

Because the figure behind the decimal is never mentioned it fools you into wondering where the money goes.

Most people never reassess the actual cost on these types of problems. They have a figure they started with and don’t realize the factors that went into it have been altered.

[freakray]

Originally Posted by YogsVR4

Most people never reassess the actual cost on these types of problems. They have a figure they started with and don’t realize the factors that went into it have been altered.

Is that good or bad on my part?

[crayzayjay]

I like these math puzzles. any more?

[YogsVR4]

Originally Posted by freakray

Is that good or bad on my part?

Good on your part. I was just making an additional observation about these kinds of 'math' problems.

[asterox]

Ugh I just coughed up some brain..

[ac427cpe]

but freakray, if they each paid 9.33, where did the last .01 go?
lol

*shrugs* easiest way to explain it is: he was given 30 for something that cost 25, but kept 2 making the cost 27. gave back 3, = all 30 accounted for.

[Spec2 Girl]

These sorts of puzzles always do my head in.

[freakray]

Originally Posted by ac427cpe

but freakray, if they each paid 9.33, where did the last .01 go?
lol

*shrugs* easiest way to explain it is: he was given 30 for something that cost 25, but kept 2 making the cost 27. gave back 3, = all 30 accounted for.

Hey, I never said us engineers do anything the easy way....

[zebrathree]

Or the cheapest.