The missing dollar riddle
The missing dollar riddle answer
Three friends split a $30 bill equally. Each pays $10. Later, they find out the meal only cost $25. The waiter returns $5, but they can’t split it evenly, so each takes $1 and gives $2 as a tip. Now they each paid $9, totaling $27, plus $2 tip makes $29. Where’s the missing dollar?
Answer
The “missing dollar” in this riddle is a classic example of a logical fallacy created by mixing two different sets of calculations. Let’s break it down:
What happened with the money?
- The meal cost $25.
- The waiter returned $5.
- Of the $5, the three friends each took $1 ($3 total) and gave a $2 tip.
Total: $25 (meal) + $3 (returned) + $2 (tip) = $30, which accounts for the entire bill.
The confusion:
The riddle tricks you by adding the $27 (total amount the friends “paid”) and the $2 tip, making it seem like there’s a missing dollar. However, this is the wrong way to look at it.The $27 already includes the $2 tip:
- Each friend paid $9, for a total of $27.
- Out of that $27, $25 went to the meal and $2 went to the tip.
Therefore, there’s no missing dollar. The math is consistent when calculated correctly.
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