Thread: Something to help make your head explode

Originally Posted by kevint

Is that a hint

No, that is not a hint. When I try to give hints I tend to just confuse people.

Originally Posted by ndw76

If you can't post a link to that clip I will wait until I get home to look it up. Might not be a good idea to watch it at school.

Not if you want to keep your job.

Originally Posted by ndw76

Well I am an Australian. We don't tip.

Sounds like some cheapskate didn't put in for the tip

Ah, I get it. Yup, no extra dollar. That did take a few minutes...

I can't believe everyone figured it out so fast. This took me about six weeks to figure out. The other teachers I work with haven't figured it out either.

I hope that doesn't say something about English teachers.

Two of my best friends are maths teachers. It's handy as I failed maths at school

There is no extra dollar. What you do is take 9+9+9=27, then subtract the $2 tip, not add it on. That gives the original $25 that was paid.

So each person paid $9 (once they got their $1 change back), and the waiter got $2, which is why you take off the $2, not add it back in.

But frankly that sounds like the sort of accounting that the governments of the world are going to be using to pay off the deficits they've run up..!

"Hey, look George, I can make money disappear! Our deficit will be gone by July!"



Thanks for sharing that one!

Stu.. you problem killer ( hopefully no one reads the whole thread before trying to figure it out ) but you are right it does seem that is how not just governments but big business run their books now days and probably one reason the world is in an economic panic right now.

I remember doing this ( or something very similar) in a problem solving class I had in High school many moons ago. My calculus teacher laughed at every wrong answer and so did the rest of the class once they knew the correct one.

Originally Posted by Troggie

Stu.. you problem killer ( hopefully no one reads the whole thread before trying to figure it out ) but you are right it does seem that is how not just governments but big business run their books now days and probably one reason the world is in an economic panic right now.

Hehe! Hey, I'm an accountant, I do this sort of thing for a living..! You'd be amazed at some of the numbers that come across my desk lol..!

I hope you teach 7th graders. I think I first saw this puzzle back then.