Where Did the Dollar Go ? Puzzle - Solution
The Puzzle:
Three friends have a nice meal together, and the bill is $25
The three friends pay $10 each, which the waiter gives to the Cashier
The Cashier hands back $5 to the Waiter
But the Waiter can't split $5 three ways, so he gives the friends one dollar each and keeps 2 dollars as a tip.
They all paid $10 and got $1 back. $10-$1 = $9
There were three of them 3 X $9 = $27
If they paid $27 and the waiter kept $2: $27+$2=$29
Where did the other dollar go? $30 - $1 = $29
The three friends pay $10 each, which the waiter gives to the Cashier
The Cashier hands back $5 to the Waiter
But the Waiter can't split $5 three ways, so he gives the friends one dollar each and keeps 2 dollars as a tip.
They all paid $10 and got $1 back. $10-$1 = $9
There were three of them 3 X $9 = $27
If they paid $27 and the waiter kept $2: $27+$2=$29
Where did the other dollar go? $30 - $1 = $29
Our Solution:
It is all in how the question is asked.
When the friends paid $10 dollars, they had paid $30 in total.
When the Cashier gave $5 dollars to the Waiter, the 3 friends had paid $25 to the Cashier and $5 to the Waiter.
When the Waiter returns 3 dollars, the 3 friends had paid $25 to the Cashier and $2 to the Waiter. $25+$2 = $27 = 3 x $9.
When the friends paid $10 dollars, they had paid $30 in total.
When the Cashier gave $5 dollars to the Waiter, the 3 friends had paid $25 to the Cashier and $5 to the Waiter.
When the Waiter returns 3 dollars, the 3 friends had paid $25 to the Cashier and $2 to the Waiter. $25+$2 = $27 = 3 x $9.
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