Here we go again.

[tommy.irene]

Three Irish guys go into a pub, have a few pints and are ready to leave and pay their tab. The bar back brings them a bill for exactly £30.00. Each guy gives him a tenner, and they leave. When the bar back hands the £30.00 to the bartender, he is told a mistake was made. The bill was only £25.00, not £30.00. The bartender gives the bar back five £1.00 notes and tells him to take it back to the 3 Irish guys. On their way out of the pub, the bar back has a thought... these guys did not give him a tip. (Editor's note: yes, I know they do not generally tip in Ireland, please just play along?) He figures that since there is no way to split £5.00 evenly three ways anyhow, he will keep two pounds for himself and give them back three pounds. OK! So far so good! He taps one of the guys on the shoulder and explains about a mix up in the bill, and hands the guy the three pounds, then departs with his two-pound tip in his pocket. Now the fun begins! Remember £30-£25=£5 Right? £5-£3=£2 Right? So what's the problem? All is well, right? Not quite? Answer this: Each of the three guys originally gave £10.00 each. They each got back £1.00 in change. That means they paid £9.00 each, which times three is £27.00. The delivery boy kept £2.00 for a tip. £27.00 plus £2.00 equals £29.00. Where the heck is the other pound??

[noodlesmycat]

with the other £1 is in the delivery boys pocket.

[astrologica]

Tommy......I've been trying to work this out for days.....are you going to put us out of our misery? Pleeeeeeeeese?

[tommy.irene]

http://www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/irish-weather-forecasters-predict-country-4529710

[evoman3957]

http://www.mathsisfun.com/operation-order-pemdas.html

[electric*mayhem*band]

Ah, but just wait until the Met Office take delivery of their brand new state-of-the-art £97m supercomputer next year. Then their long range forecasts will be nearly 50% accurate.

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/oct/28/met-office-forecasts-new-97m-computer-will-provide...

[fallen-archie]

Looks like a Bargain

[tommy.irene]

---

@astrologica wrote:
Tommy......I've been trying to work this out for days.....are you going to put us out of our misery? Pleeeeeeeeese?

---

I dont know the answer...

[cee-dee]

Surely this has been on the boards so many times over the years that the answer's well known?

There's no £1 missing. It's the way it's all been written that's confused people.

The proper charge was £25. So the proper charge for each was £8.33. The bar back had £2 which is 67p each. So each unknowingly paid out £9.

They were given £3 back so each got £1 back. That accounts for the £10 each they'd paid originally. QED.

[fallen-archie]

Or to put it simply, the bill was £25 the three paid £27 so someone owes them £2.

[astrologica]

It just doesn't make sense, whichever way you look at it. It's doing my head in......I have to leave it be!

[cee-dee]

It's like those trick questions we got at school. Not only were they testing your maths, they were seeing how smart you were to work it out.

If it was laid out like a bill, it would go something like this for each man:-

£8.33 bar tab

£0.67 for the bar back.

£1 overpayment =

£10 in total

OR if you prefer:-

£10 paid on account.

£8.33 bar tab

£0.67 for the bar back =

£9.00 to pay, £1 overpayment returned = £10.

OR if you prefer this way:-

£30 paid on account.

£25 bar tab

£2 for the bar back

£27 in total due. £3 overpayment returned = £30

[blackburn_stevie]

Ì was ßhown this about 55 years àgo and the story tthe was that þhère was ño money missing or lost either way.