Where did the extra pound go?

Question

Three students spend £30 (£10 each) on pizza. When the pizza boy returns to the restaurant, his boss points out they should only have paid £25 between them. He takes £5 back, but helps himself to £2 and gives the students back £1 each. The students have now paid £9 each making a total of £27. If the boy has kept £2, where did the extra pound go because £27 + £2 = £29

Edit: I actually knew the answer to this. Just needed extra explaining for some one else who didn't get it. Thank you people!!

Answer 1

This is a trick question. There are two transactions here, the first one, balances at 30 pounds; the second one balances at 27 pounds (not 29).

When the students get 1 pound refunded each, they paid together 27 pounds (9 x 3 = 27).
The price of the pizza was 25, and the delivery boy kept 2, so the account balances ( 25 + 2 = 27).
Both transactions are independent and there is no reason why should they balance at 30 pounds each.

If instead of 25 pounds, the pizza would cost 21 pounds; the boy would return 9 pounds. If he decides to keep 6 and refund 3 pounds to the student, each student would have paid 9 pounds plus 6 for the delivery boy, for a total of 33 pounds!! ( 27 + 6 = 33 >> we created 3 pounds!!). In reality what happened is that the stundents paid 27 for pizza and tip (21 + 6 = 27).

As both transactions are independent there is no reason why both should balance at 30 pounds.

Answer 2

This is a classic maths problem, although its usually an innkeeper and three businessmen.

The pizzaman has £25. The delivery boy has £2. The students have £3. There's your £30.

The error comes from misdirection. You add what the students gave up, £27 and what the delivery boy has, £2, and think there's some sort of mystery. But the real maths problem here is £27 - £2 = £25, the cost of the pizza.

It's a lesson in reading word problems properly.

Answer 3

Actually, they paid a little more than 9 pounds because the boy helped himself to 2 pounds. The 2 pounds should be included in the 27 pounds and the 3 pounds left over is what they got back.

Answer 4

If the boy returns 3 pounds back, it means that it costed only 27 pounds to the students.Actually, the last sentence in your question is generally added as fast one can do as it is asked. You must have heard the question, not read. The last sentence does nothing with the question. It is just a fact that 27 + 2 = 29.

Answer 5

The students spent £9 each for a total of £27.

----------The Pizza place got £25
----------The Delivery boy got £2

The boys have £1 in their pocket for a total of £3.


The money in their pockets (£3) + the pizza boy's money (£2)+ the money at the pizzeria (£25) = £30

The reason your calculations are not reasonable is that you are adding £2 to £27 .. which means you are adding £2 twice.

Answer 6

25+2=27
the owner received $25, the pizza boy stayed with$2 and the net total of $27 were paid by the students. so no pound lost.

Answer 7

Your math is incorrect. When the boss takes back 5 and leaves the 3 boys with 25 they have actually 8.33 each and when he gives them each 1 back they have 9.33 each .
9.33 x 3 = 27.99 and an extra 1 cent would equal the 28 plus the two the boss has = 30.