A simple question about a stolen $100 bill has confused more people than anyone expected. At first, it sounds easy. A man steals $100 from a store register, then returns to the same store and buys $70 worth of goods using that same $100 bill. The cashier gives him $30 in change, and the question becomes: how much money did the store actually lose?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many people immediately say the store lost $200 because the thief stole $100 first, then took $70 in goods and $30 in change. Others argue the store only lost $100 because the stolen bill came back into the register. That is where the trick begins. The same $100 bill cannot be counted twice as a separate loss once it returns to the store.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The clean way to understand it is simple. The store first loses $100 from the register. Later, the thief gives that same $100 back while buying items. At that moment, the cash part is balanced again, but the store still gives away $70 worth of goods and $30 in change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So the real loss is $100 total. That loss is made up of $70 in merchandise plus $30 in cash. The stolen bill returning to the register cancels out the original missing cash, but it does not cancel the goods and change the thief walked away with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is why the answer surprises people. The store did not lose $200, $170, or $130. It lost exactly $100, even though the situation feels more complicated than it really is.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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