Money help: My friend gave me this riddle and I can’t seem to figure it out. - Help.com

but $490 + $490 = $980 I add on my $10 = $990 where did the other $10 go?

You owe $490 + $490 = $980 = $1000 minus the twenty you already paid

If you read over this page, it might remind you of how to be more logical: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logic

numbers, dollar signs, plus signs equals. 2+2=fish. O.O
math. me no speaky.
mind explosion

president mindhealer wrote:

but $490 + $490 = $980 I add on my $10 = $990 where did the other $10 go?

You owe $490 + $490 = $980 = $1000 minus the twenty you already paid

Yeah I an see why it’s confusing but as Mindhealer says it is right.

TheMorginator:3 wrote:
numbers, dollar signs, plus signs equals. 2+2=fish. O.O
math. me no speaky.
mind explosion

I’ll simplify it. If you borrow two fish from the ocean and two from a lake, and you throw a fish back into the lake and ocean, then 2 fish plus 2 fish minus 1 fish equals 3 fish. So where’d the other fish go?

president mindhealer wrote:

TheMorginator:3 wrote:
numbers, dollar signs, plus signs equals. 2+2=fish. O.O
math. me no speaky.
mind explosion

I’ll simplify it. If you borrow two fish from the ocean and two from a lake, and you throw a fish back into the lake and ocean, then 2 fish plus 2 fish minus 1 fish equals 3 fish. So where’d the other fish go?

wow is it sad i had to re read that 2 times and it still doesnt make any sense???

TheMorginator:3 wrote:

president mindhealer wrote:

TheMorginator:3 wrote:
numbers, dollar signs, plus signs equals. 2+2=fish. O.O
math. me no speaky.
mind explosion

I’ll simplify it. If you borrow two fish from the ocean and two from a lake, and you throw a fish back into the lake and ocean, then 2 fish plus 2 fish minus 1 fish equals 3 fish. So where’d the other fish go?

wow is it sad i had to re read that 2 times and it still doesnt make any sense???

Yeah I think he said it wrong lol. But really your not adding the money you have left, your simply looking at the money you’ve repaid. The money left and the money repaid are two different sums/differences.

TheMorginator:3 wrote:

president mindhealer wrote:

TheMorginator:3 wrote:
numbers, dollar signs, plus signs equals. 2+2=fish. O.O
math. me no speaky.
mind explosion

I’ll simplify it. If you borrow two fish from the ocean and two from a lake, and you throw a fish back into the lake and ocean, then 2 fish plus 2 fish minus 1 fish equals 3 fish. So where’d the other fish go?

wow is it sad i had to re read that 2 times and it still doesnt make any sense???

It is kind of sad, I guess it goes to show that you shouldn’t try to work on fish math with a recently exploded mind.

Here you go… $970.00 = $485.00 x 2 deducted from a total of $1000.00 = $30.00. You you should have returned to them $15.00 each, instead you kept $10.00 making the balance owed $495.00 to each. Since you only returned $10.00 to each, your balance owed is $485.00 to each parent…

Riddle solved….

~~_/)_~~ wrote:
Here you go… $970.00 = $485.00 x 2 deducted from a total of $1000.00 = $30.00. You you should have returned to them $15.00 each, instead you kept $10.00 making the balance owed $495.00 to each. Since you only returned $10.00 to each, your balance owed is $485.00 to each parent…

Riddle solved….

That’s about as logical as my fish math… which shows how it is possible to be confused by math in a word problem, but if put into simple numbers or arithmetic it couldn’t be confusing.

I’m sorry, the last number in the above equation is $485.00, it was meant to be $490.00… :)

True PM…. I’m into the relaxation mode today, this is far to much to get involved in after a glass of wine, lol…

I’m outta here before I take it off topic, lol… bye for now..

~~_/)_~~ wrote:
True PM…. I’m into the relaxation mode today, this is far to much to get involved in after a glass of wine, lol…

This is just my perspective, but I think you slightly trusted and followed the illogic of the riddle, while I just added up the numbers. It could as easily have been the opposite, because I feel like I very often take people at their word in riddling posts, as to how things are, and try to work with that, all the while others may not trust the logic in the first place and say it’s all false.

OK… I missed it again, hehehe, the correct amount you owe each parent is $495.00 each. I’ll copy and paste the math here in a moment…

Mother:
Loan $500.00

Father:
Loan $500.00

Child borrowed: $1000.00
Spent: $ 970.00
Change due: $ 30.00

Loan from Mother $485.00 (spent) - $15.00 (held)
Loan from Father $485.00 (spent) - $15.00 (held)
Totals: $970.00 (spent) - $30.00 Held)

Actual loan from Mother $495.00 after keeping $5.00 from her on the held amount!!

Actual loan from Father $495.00 after keeping $5.00 from him on the held amount!!

Total amount borrowed from both is $990.00, you held $10.00 to yourself.

It has to apples to apples, not apples and oranges… lol… of fishes, hehehe…

you owed your parents $500 each.

and paid them each $10. (concentrate on this TEN dollars you paid them)
(so you now owe them $490 each now…)

REGARDLESS OF HOW MUCH YOU SPENT! ($970 or $97,000: this is part that throws you off)

The “other $10″ didnt go anywhere…

$970(shoes) + $10 + $10 + YOUR left over $10 = $1000!

You simply owe them $490 each.

MORAL OF THE STORY: “Ive made my mind up, dont confuse me with the facts”
Youre adding the money owed without taking into account the UNEVEN amount of the price of the shoes! Ignore how much you spent. Look at the amount owed only.

So when will you pay back the $10.00 you withheld? Because you still owe them that as well, hehehe…

~~_/)_~~ wrote:
Total amount borrowed from both is $990.00, you held $10.00 to yourself.

Except that the total amount borrowed was $1000, the child kept $980, paid back $20 and owes $980. Therein lies the confusing contradiction that the riddle wants to present.

~~_/)_~~ wrote:
So when will you pay back the $10.00 you withheld? Because you still owe them that as well, hehehe…

No…

Nope, $490 (pay attention please)

$490 each.

$970 shoes + $10 to momma (still owe mama $490!)
+ $10 to papa (still owe papa $490)
+ left over $10 = $1000

Dont mix them.
You owe your folks $500 each (period) REGARDLESS of how much you spend. $970 or $9007
You simply gave them back $10 each only and have $10 left over. (why you borrow money from your dad on Fathers Day?!)

Reading over all the replies, it seems like none of it adds up. Why did the child only buy one shoe? Why is the child paying back the money instead of investing in another shoe? Why aren’t the parents buying shoes for their child? Do they “loan” the child money for other necessities like diapers and lunch money? Are they the ones who came up with this confusing riddle? I really think someone should have a talk with them.

Also, it seems unrealistic that any child would randomly go out and buy a leather shoe for $970. Unless it was a Father’s Day present for his dad the professional businessman.

president mindhealer wrote:
Reading over all the replies, it seems like none of it adds up. Why did the child only buy one shoe? Why is the child paying back the money instead of investing in another shoe? Why aren’t the parents buying shoes for their child? Do they “loan” the child money for other necessities like diapers and lunch money? Are they the ones who came up with this confusing riddle? I really think someone should have a talk with them.

president mindhealer wrote:
Also, it seems unrealistic that any child would randomly go out and buy a leather shoe for $970. Unless it was a Father’s Day present for his dad the professional businessman.

that right there is the only thing that has made sense to me this entire post

So you paid your parents $20.00 and still owe them $980.00…. which is $970.00 that you spent on the shoe + $10.00 that you kept for yourself! Got that???

president mindhealer wrote:
Reading over all the replies, it seems like none of it adds up. Why did the child only buy one shoe? Why is the child paying back the money instead of investing in another shoe? Why aren’t the parents buying shoes for their child? Do they “loan” the child money for other necessities like diapers and lunch money? Are they the ones who came up with this confusing riddle? I really think someone should have a talk with them.

Hehehe…. and yes, MindHealer, that is baaaad, baaad BAAAAD parenting!! LoL

Hmmm…

X = 2B
X = Y+C+A
lol…
This makes more sense to me.

A = 20 = AMOUNT paid back
B = 500 = owed to BOTH
C = 970 = COST of shoe
Y = 10 = $YOU held to
X = 1000

B= (Y+C+A)/2
A= X-(Y+C)
C= X- (A+Y)
Y= X- (C+A)

hahaha reminds me of the 10th grade

Yeah.. I used to love algebra. :) LoL

Oh , I thought maths was always right lol

It say a leather shoe. What about the other one?

He only has one leg

Moral of the story/riddle.. don’t lend out money to relatives.

MeerkatLover wrote:
‘I borrow $500 from my mother and $500 from my father. I buy a $970 leather shoe, so I have $30 left, I give back my mother $10 and my father $10 so I have $10, I still owe my parents $490 each, but $490 + $490 = $980 I add on my $10 = $990 where did the other $10 go?.’ So… any ideas? xD

MeerkatLover, are you still there? LoL It’s really not that complicated.
Let me use your own statement and clear the mistake up for you.

$490 + $490 = $980

I add on my $10 = $990

This is where you go wrong. Why would you add $10 to the amount you owe your parents?

If you add $10 to the $20 you already gave them, that would be like subtracting it from what you owe them ($980 - $10 = $970), rather then adding it like you did, leaving you with a debt of $970 (The price of that very expensive shoe!)

You just owe them each five.

At the end, is says after adding your ten, it’s $980. SO that’s where your money went.

Amount Borrowed: $1,000
Amount Spent: $970
Amount Remains: $30
Amount Repaid: $20
Amount on you: $10
Remaining Loan: $990

So, you have $1,000 , You only spend $970, you owe your parents $1,000 , you pay 20$, so you owe your parents $980 , have $10 on you , shoes cost $970.
So there is no missing $10. People don’t realize.

Qajs1 wrote:
Amount Borrowed: $1,000
Amount Spent: $970
Amount Remains: $30
Amount Repaid: $20
Amount on you: $10
Remaining Loan: $990

So, you have $1,000 , You only spend $970, you owe your parents $1,000 , you pay 20$, so you owe your parents $980 , have $10 on you , shoes cost $970.
So there is no missing $10. People don’t realize.

Its a trick question obviously.
The fallacy is people confuse what is owed with what is spent. They erroneously mix them together.
I illustrated this long ago (scroll up)
I even included the algebraic formulas for this issue.

You borrow $1,000 , spend $970, give them back $20, so now you owe them $980, if you were to give them back the $10 you have , you’d owe them $970, which you need to earn to pay them back!!

roofdonkey wrote:

Qajs1 wrote:
Amount Borrowed: $1,000
Amount Spent: $970
Amount Remains: $30
Amount Repaid: $20
Amount on you: $10
Remaining Loan: $990

So, you have $1,000 , You only spend $970, you owe your parents $1,000 , you pay 20$, so you owe your parents $980 , have $10 on you , shoes cost $970.
So there is no missing $10. People don’t realize.

Its a trick question obviously.
The fallacy is people confuse what is owed with what is spent. They erroneously mix them together.
I illustrated this long ago (scroll up)
I even included the algebraic formulas for this issue.

It’s because they want to make it back to $1,000. To do that, you’d have to re-take the $20 you took from your parents. But if you paid them the $10 you have , you’d owe them $970. Which makes sense because that’s the cost of that shoe, which you must pay back ;P

roofdonkey wrote:
C= X- (A+Y)

C = 970 = COST of shoe

Is it, like, the left shoe or the right one?

niggasgonewil wrote:
im pretty smart & i cant figure it out

It’s impossibly unsolvable. We all gave up ages ago.

not understanding this post makes me even more depressed :-(

Anonymous wrote:
not understanding this post makes me even more depressed :-(

You mistaking what was owed with what was spent. The shoe in this case. Dont mix them up.

Think of it this way.
$500 to each parent.

Ok?
Then, he gives $10 back to each one.
He therefore owes them $490 each now… (Ignore everything else.)
He puts $10 in his pocket…

$10+$10+$10 = $30 (of course)

so of the $1000, $970 + $10 already in his pocket, he has ————–>$980.00

The shoe costs $970, but he still has that $10 in his pocket.

roofdonkey wrote:
Y= X- (C+A)