A CHALLENGING brain teaser is asking people to find the “missing pound” – and it’s left internet users scratching their heads.
A video has been shared on TikTok that has racked up thousands of comments from people who are unable to solve a restaurant dilemma.
The clip starts with a person sat with a pen and paper trying to solve the brain teaser, with the voiceover saying: "Okay someone explain this to me, because I just don't get it."
The riddle is that three friends go out for a meal and split the bill at the end, with each contributing £10 to make a combined £30.
The meal total comes to £25 so the waiter has to give them £5 in change.
As he is left confused as to how to split this amount equally, he gives them £1 each back and keeps £2 for himself.
The three pals are given £1 back so they have now only paid £9 each, giving a total of £27, plus the £2 the waiter kept, which comes to £29.
So where has the extra pound gone?
Many people were left baffled, with one saying: "NO. That pound actually disappeared."
Another said: "The only thing I can think is that when we invented maths we got it wrong."
And one simply gave up saying: "Too much math for me."
So how do you solve it? The answer is actually quite simple.
The £1 is actually not missing and the riddle is an example of informal fallacy – and the error lies in the reasoning.
We lose track of the ‘missing’ pound when we conceptualise the riddle because, in reality, the customers have not paid £27 between them – the bill was actually £25, whilst the extra £2 went to the waiter.
Therefore, of the £30 which changed hands, £25 has gone to the restaurant.
This leaves the £2 which the waiter nabbed and then the £3 in refunds split between the three customers – which all adds up to £30.
It all makes much more sense if you do the maths the other way round: £30 = £1 + £1 +£1 + £2 + £25
Next time you’re overcharged for your dinner, it might be less of a head-scratching hassle to just let the waiter keep the change.
Want another challenge?
Can you spot 50 things that test your 90s knowledge in this say-what-you-see brain teaser?
Meanwhile, how bangin’ were the Nineties for you? Dust off your glow sticks and take our music quiz to find out.
And can you name these ’90s chocolate bars? Take this tasty quiz to find out.
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