# A number riddle - where did the £1 go?? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 4, 2002, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-number-riddle-where-did-the-1-go/101825 "2002-04-04T18:16:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/91b2a8/32.png) [@Ico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ico)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2002, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-number-riddle-where-did-the-1-go/101825/1 "2002-04-04T18:16:50Z")
Somebody told me this riddle and ive been trying to work it out for weeks… 3 men are staying at a hotel and they want to hire a pool table… they ask the porter to go get one for them. They think that it would be roughly £30 to hire so they each give the porter £10. The porter goes to get the table and it turns out to be only £25. Because the 3 men dont know the price the porter decides to get himself some cigarettes with the change - thats £2, and so he’s left with another £3 so he gives each of the men £1 back so the men have each paid £9… 3 x 9 = 27 = total that the men paid 27 + 2 (for cigs) =29 Where did the other £1 go???!???!?? 😕 Ive tryed working this out from the beginning and also working backward from the end nd im still non the wiser! Can anyone shed any light? I apolgize if this has been mentioned before, im new here… hello everyone. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![batsto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b2d939/32.png) [@batsto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/batsto)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2002, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-number-riddle-where-did-the-1-go/101825/2 "2002-04-04T18:22:12Z")
The answer is here: [http://www.people.virginia.edu/~rhp/Riddles/answer7.htm](http://www.people.virginia.edu/~rhp/Riddles/answer7.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Ico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/91b2a8/32.png) [@Ico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ico)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2002, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-number-riddle-where-did-the-1-go/101825/3 "2002-04-04T18:25:12Z")
Ahh…thanks batsto. Its all become clear now 😃🆒 ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2002, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-number-riddle-where-did-the-1-go/101825/4 "2002-04-04T18:37:52Z")
I am not sure I get the riddle. The men paid a total of 27 which is 25 for the table and 2 for the smokes. Where’s the problem? ---
**Author:** ![Ico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/91b2a8/32.png) [@Ico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ico)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2002, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-number-riddle-where-did-the-1-go/101825/5 "2002-04-04T18:44:05Z")
The men actually paid £27 for the table as the porter overcharged them plus the £2 for the cigs thats £29 the problem was they started with £30… but as batso showed the starting amount is irrellevant. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2002, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-number-riddle-where-did-the-1-go/101825/6 "2002-04-04T19:24:25Z")
\>\> The men actually paid £27 for the table as the porter overcharged them plus the £2 for the cigs thats £29 Sorry but no. They paid a total of 27 of which 25 went for the table and 2 for the smokes. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2002, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-number-riddle-where-did-the-1-go/101825/7 "2002-04-04T19:42:26Z")
Net result: Of the original 30 pounds… ## 25 went for the pool table 2 went for the bellboy’s cigarettes 3 went back to the men. 30 pounds altogether. Where’s the mystery? ---
**Author:** ![AndrewL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@AndrewL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AndrewL)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2002, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-number-riddle-where-did-the-1-go/101825/8 "2002-04-04T21:17:24Z")
I’ve seen this riddle, and it pisses me off. The riddle contains a deliberate falsehood in how it presents the math to create a phantom missing dollar. It’s in this line: > [@](#): > > \*\* > 27 + 2 (for cigs) =29 > \*\* This should be 25 (for the table) + 2 (for cigs) = 27 (total paid) but when you give the correct math, there’s no illusory missing dollar and no riddle. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Maximino](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e95f7d/32.png) [@Mighty\_Maximino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Maximino)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2002, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-number-riddle-where-did-the-1-go/101825/9 "2002-04-04T21:32:38Z")
There are good answers here, and here’s a link to some more: [http://www.mathforum.org/dr.math/faq/faq.missing.dollar.html](http://www.mathforum.org/dr.math/faq/faq.missing.dollar.html) (I volunteer at Dr. Math, so I like to cite it when possible.) ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2002, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-number-riddle-where-did-the-1-go/101825/10 "2002-04-04T21:50:48Z")
An American version (dollars, not pounds) was discussed by Cecil: [Riddle: The 3 guys, the bellhop, and the missing buck](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a910621.html) ---
**Author:** ![Ico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/91b2a8/32.png) [@Ico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ico)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2002, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-number-riddle-where-did-the-1-go/101825/11 "2002-04-04T23:51:41Z")
ok… woah, you have no idea how stupid i feel… ☹ i really fell for that un…it seems so obviously clear now … i think its best to let this thread sink into the oblivion… i might as well have started a thread labelled “i cant add up” :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![shelbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@shelbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shelbo)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2002, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-number-riddle-where-did-the-1-go/101825/12 "2002-04-05T01:08:12Z")
Is it just me, or does [batsto’s link](http://www.people.virginia.edu/~rhp/Riddles/answer7.htm) look strangely like [Cecil’s](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a910621.html) answer? Cecil copying! What has the world come to! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2002, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-number-riddle-where-did-the-1-go/101825/13 "2002-04-05T05:03:18Z")
This is one of those questions where you can read the subject line and instantly know what the thread is about. Nothing to add, just passing through. ---
**Author:** ![Ico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/91b2a8/32.png) [@Ico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ico)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2002, 10:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-number-riddle-where-did-the-1-go/101825/14 "2002-04-05T10:32:24Z")
well, obviously if you’ve heard it before… I cant imagine many people who havnt heard it before instantly knowing what its about 😃