Bizarre maths issue
Discussion
Hi there.
Not sure if the science page is the correct place for this but as I couldn’t find a maths page, this’ll have to do.
Plus, apologies if its been posted before.
Anyway, I got sent this and my partner and myself have spent the evening trying to figure it out. Its starting to hurt now.
Here goes;
I’m in town and I see a jacket for £97 but I don’t have any cash on me so I borrow £50 from mum and £50 from dad=£100
I buy the jacket and get £3 change. I give £1 to mum and £1 to dad and put £1 in my pocket. This means I owe mum £49 and dad £49.
49 + 49 is 98 plus my pound is 99. What has happened to the last pound?
We feel like we have come close to an answer but it keeps slipping away-much like the missing pound!
Please help.
Not sure if the science page is the correct place for this but as I couldn’t find a maths page, this’ll have to do.
Plus, apologies if its been posted before.
Anyway, I got sent this and my partner and myself have spent the evening trying to figure it out. Its starting to hurt now.
Here goes;
I’m in town and I see a jacket for £97 but I don’t have any cash on me so I borrow £50 from mum and £50 from dad=£100
I buy the jacket and get £3 change. I give £1 to mum and £1 to dad and put £1 in my pocket. This means I owe mum £49 and dad £49.
49 + 49 is 98 plus my pound is 99. What has happened to the last pound?
We feel like we have come close to an answer but it keeps slipping away-much like the missing pound!
Please help.
Writhing said:
Hi there.
Not sure if the science page is the correct place for this but as I couldn’t find a maths page, this’ll have to do.
Plus, apologies if its been posted before.
Anyway, I got sent this and my partner and myself have spent the evening trying to figure it out. Its starting to hurt now.
Here goes;
I’m in town and I see a jacket for £97 but I don’t have any cash on me so I borrow £50 from mum and £50 from dad=£100
I buy the jacket and get £3 change. I give £1 to mum and £1 to dad and put £1 in my pocket. This means I owe mum £49 and dad £49.
49 + 49 is 98 plus my pound is 99. What has happened to the last pound?
We feel like we have come close to an answer but it keeps slipping away-much like the missing pound!
Please help.
So you borrowed 100 and you have kept 1 which means total is 101. If you gave that 1 you kept to mum you would only owe her 48 and dad 49 which is the 97 the jacket cost. Not sure if the science page is the correct place for this but as I couldn’t find a maths page, this’ll have to do.
Plus, apologies if its been posted before.
Anyway, I got sent this and my partner and myself have spent the evening trying to figure it out. Its starting to hurt now.
Here goes;
I’m in town and I see a jacket for £97 but I don’t have any cash on me so I borrow £50 from mum and £50 from dad=£100
I buy the jacket and get £3 change. I give £1 to mum and £1 to dad and put £1 in my pocket. This means I owe mum £49 and dad £49.
49 + 49 is 98 plus my pound is 99. What has happened to the last pound?
We feel like we have come close to an answer but it keeps slipping away-much like the missing pound!
Please help.
Writhing said:
Hi there.
Not sure if the science page is the correct place for this but as I couldn’t find a maths page, this’ll have to do.
Plus, apologies if its been posted before.
Anyway, I got sent this and my partner and myself have spent the evening trying to figure it out. Its starting to hurt now.
Here goes;
I’m in town and I see a jacket for £97 but I don’t have any cash on me so I borrow £50 from mum and £50 from dad=£100
I buy the jacket and get £3 change. I give £1 to mum and £1 to dad and put £1 in my pocket. This means I owe mum £49 and dad £49.
49 + 49 is 98 plus my pound is 99. What has happened to the last pound?
We feel like we have come close to an answer but it keeps slipping away-much like the missing pound!
Please help.
My tuppence.Not sure if the science page is the correct place for this but as I couldn’t find a maths page, this’ll have to do.
Plus, apologies if its been posted before.
Anyway, I got sent this and my partner and myself have spent the evening trying to figure it out. Its starting to hurt now.
Here goes;
I’m in town and I see a jacket for £97 but I don’t have any cash on me so I borrow £50 from mum and £50 from dad=£100
I buy the jacket and get £3 change. I give £1 to mum and £1 to dad and put £1 in my pocket. This means I owe mum £49 and dad £49.
49 + 49 is 98 plus my pound is 99. What has happened to the last pound?
We feel like we have come close to an answer but it keeps slipping away-much like the missing pound!
Please help.
Revolving perspective (I just made that up).
Take the story from any single party’s perspective and the numbers add up.
(When it was all green fields, it was where did the missing penny go.)
Three people go for a meal, bill arrives, its £25. The go Dutch and chuck in a tenner at each. Waitress brings back 5 one pound coins, they take one each and leave two pound coins as a tip.
So they each spent £9 plus the waitress got £2. That (9x3)+2 = 29... So there is £1 missing...
If this confuses you PM me, i have an excellent get rich quick scheme you might be interested in....
So they each spent £9 plus the waitress got £2. That (9x3)+2 = 29... So there is £1 missing...
If this confuses you PM me, i have an excellent get rich quick scheme you might be interested in....
"This means I owe Mum and Dad £49 each".
You don't!
In my head (and I've had a wine too
)
- you've spent £48.50 of the money from each.
- there's £3 left, or 1.50 each
- you gave them £1.00 each
- that's the £1 that's in your pocket, so you give them 50p each.
- you have no money left and they have £1.50 back from a £50 debt.
Therefore you owe £48.50 each - £97 together.
After some editing, I'm not sure that's come across quite as simple as I'd hoped. Can we just argue about number-plate sizes instead?
You don't!
In my head (and I've had a wine too
) - you've spent £48.50 of the money from each.
- there's £3 left, or 1.50 each
- you gave them £1.00 each
- that's the £1 that's in your pocket, so you give them 50p each.
- you have no money left and they have £1.50 back from a £50 debt.
Therefore you owe £48.50 each - £97 together.
After some editing, I'm not sure that's come across quite as simple as I'd hoped. Can we just argue about number-plate sizes instead?
Edited by Bear-n on Friday 16th March 22:41
"This means I owe Mum and Dad £49".
You don't!
In my head (and I've had a wine too smile )
- you've spent £48.50 of the money from each.
- you then owe them both £1.50, which you had.
- you gave them £1.00 each, so you owe them 50p each
- that's the £1 that's in your pocket :-)
This is the route my partner has taken and I almost agree. However, the practicality doesn’t work. You can say I owe £48.50 or any amount but its different to what I decide to do. I have £3 in my hand and decide to give £1 each to mum and dad and keep £1 for myself. I still owe them £49 each.
What am I missing?
You don't!
In my head (and I've had a wine too smile )
- you've spent £48.50 of the money from each.
- you then owe them both £1.50, which you had.
- you gave them £1.00 each, so you owe them 50p each
- that's the £1 that's in your pocket :-)
This is the route my partner has taken and I almost agree. However, the practicality doesn’t work. You can say I owe £48.50 or any amount but its different to what I decide to do. I have £3 in my hand and decide to give £1 each to mum and dad and keep £1 for myself. I still owe them £49 each.
What am I missing?
Writhing said:
I have £3 in my hand and decide to give £1 each to mum and dad and keep £1 for myself. I still owe them £49 each.
First sentence is fine. Second is wrong. At the point you give them £1 back, you owe them £49.50 each. That's the £1 that's left in your pocket. Although a nice G&T is the correct answer. Can I recommend some kettle crisps as well. £1 on offer at the moment.
An accountants answer; as a balance sheet
Fixed Assets jacket 97
Current assets Cash 1
Total assets 98
Represented by
Liabilities
Loan Owed to Mum 49
Loan Owed to Dad 49
Total Liabilities 98
As opposed to originally position
Fixed Assets jacket 97
Current assets Cash 3
Total assets 100
Represented by
Liabilities
Loan Owed to Mum 50
Loan Owed to Dad 50
Total Liabilities 100
Fixed Assets jacket 97
Current assets Cash 1
Total assets 98
Represented by
Liabilities
Loan Owed to Mum 49
Loan Owed to Dad 49
Total Liabilities 98
As opposed to originally position
Fixed Assets jacket 97
Current assets Cash 3
Total assets 100
Represented by
Liabilities
Loan Owed to Mum 50
Loan Owed to Dad 50
Total Liabilities 100
Bear-n said:
First sentence is fine. Second is wrong. At the point you give them £1 back, you owe them £49.50 each. That's the £1 that's left in your pocket.
Although a nice G&T is the correct answer. Can I recommend some kettle crisps as well. £1 on offer at the moment.
Nonsense. If you owe someone £50, and then pay them £1, how on earth can you then owe them £49.50 ?Although a nice G&T is the correct answer. Can I recommend some kettle crisps as well. £1 on offer at the moment.
Think about it. You agree to buy a car for £5000, and leave a £100 deposit. When you turn up to collect it with £4900 in cash, the vendor then insists you still owe £4950. Nice business if you can get it !
The reality is that combined mum and dad are owed £98, and that you are still holding £1 of the original loan. Once that £1 is used against the existing £98 loan, you then owe £97 from your own funds I.e the cost of the goods
Edited by meridian on Saturday 17th March 14:16
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