OT: a numbers riddle

[strantor]

I heard this years ago and it stumped me to the point (I'm embarrassed to admit) I had to get out (30) $1 bills on the table. It's been around forever so if you've heard it and know the answer, please try to contain yourself and let some folks chew on it before blurting it out. Here it goes:

3 friends have lunch a diner and the bill is $25.
They all put a $10 bill down and the waitress brings their $5 in change back, (5) $1 bills.
They discussed it beforehand, decided the service wasn't great, so they're only tipping her $2.
So they each take $1 from the change and give her the $2.
Now they've each paid $9.
$9 x 3 guys = $27.
plus the $2 that they gave the waitress = $29.
What happened to the other dollar?

 

[RNeumann]

The $27 is the total with tip. Your breakdown at the end is the issue......

 

[Jstpssng]

I'm trying to think when the last time was that I left such a measly tip... I think that the answer is never. (Although I have walked out of a few places when the waitress was more interested in talking to her friends than working.)

 

[Fuddy1952]

The extra dollar was the tax.
Seriously though, it's a confusion of semantics, combining the $25 total bill with $5 change.
Each person's meal was $8.33 (actually 2x $8.33, one got screwed out of a penny so $8.34).
Three people, each paid $8.33 +$0.67 tip =$9.00 so $27.00 total. Waitress got $2.00.
They each paid $10.00, but got $1.00 back, so each paid $9.00.
The confusion is that there are four people involved, not three.
An easy way to visualize it is 3 people and $30 at a table. $30 is taken away, $5 returned by FOURTH person. Each person at table takes a dollar, fourth person takes $2 of that $5.
The initial $30 is the start of confusion.
If each person at table had $9 cash, then the three paid $27...leaving $2 to waitress ($25 bill+$2 tip=$27).
$1.00 didn't disappear. $30 on table and taken away, $5 returned to table. $1 to each of three guys, $2 to waitress. That's $5.

 

[Fuddy1952]

Another I believe easier way to understand this puzzle is this...
You eat alone at a restaurant having only $30 in your wallet. Waitress brings the bill and it's* $25, so you give the $30. She brings back $5 change, you leave her $2 and put $3 back in your wallet. So you paid $27, she has $2 , that's* $29...where's the missing dollar?
The fact is there were TWO COMPLETELY* DIFFERENT transactions which took place, giving rise to the quandary. (The waitress also caused a rise but that's a different story).
You had $30 and paid $25, so you now have $5. Second transaction is you had $5 and paid $2, so you now have $3. There's no missing dollar since your $3 and her $2 equals the $5 change.
I wouldn't eat there again unless you like hairy coffee and the hydraulic poots.
It's the same scenario with three people because of two separate and different transactions. They pay the bill and given change. The $30 no longer exists. Now we're talking about* $5, $2 paid and each of the three walks out with a dollar. So 3x $1=$3+$2= that $5 change.

 

[Oldpath05]

That hurts my brain to much trying trying trying to figure that out I'll wait for the answer and check back latter, I'm more use to why'd the turkey cross the road..........

 

[bunyip]

Take another step further:

It is the month of August; a resort town sits next to the shores of a lake. It is raining, and the little town looks totally deserted. It is tough times, everybody is in debt, and everybody lives on credit.

Suddenly, a rich tourist comes to town. He enters the only hotel, lays a 100 dollar bill on the reception counter, and goes to inspect the rooms upstairs in order to pick one.

The hotel proprietor takes the 100 dollar bill and runs to pay his debt to the butcher. The Butcher takes the 100 dollar bill and runs to pay his debt to the pig raiser. The pig raiser takes the 100 dollar bill and runs to pay his debt to the supplier of his feed and fuel. The supplier of feed and fuel takes the 100 dollar bill and runs to pay his debt to the town’s prostitute that, in these hard times, gave her “services” on credit. The hooker runs to the hotel, and pays off her debt with the 100 dollar bill to the hotel proprietor to pay for the rooms that she rented when she brought her clients there.

The hotel proprietor then lays the 100 dollar bill back on the counter so that the rich tourist will not suspect anything. At that moment, the rich tourist comes down after inspecting the rooms, and takes his 100 dollar bill, after saying he did not like any of the rooms, and leaves town.

No one earned anything. However, the whole town is now without debt, and looks to the future with a lot of optimism.

 

[Fuddy1952]

Do I win a prize? I didn't look it up or ever saw the puzzle before.

 

[Jim Shooz]

The trick is in the 4th line

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Well that was easy, a no brainer......