Let’s break down the famous “missing dollar” mystery step by step.
You find a shirt for $97 and borrow $50 from Mom and $50 from Dad, giving you $100. After buying the shirt, you get $3 back. You return $1 to Mom, $1 to Dad, and keep $1.
Now you owe each parent $49, because $50 − $1 = $49.
So the total debt is $49 + $49 = $98.
Here’s where the puzzle tries to trick you. It says:
“You owe $98, and you kept $1, so that makes $99. Where did the other dollar go?”
But wait — the $98 already includes the $1 you kept.
Think about it this way:
That $98 represents where the borrowed money ended up:
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$97 went to the store for the shirt.
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$1 is in your pocket.
So:
$97 + $1 = $98.
There’s nothing left to add.
The mistake comes from mixing categories. The riddle adds the dollar you kept to the debt, when it should be compared with how the money was spent.
If you total everything properly:
Store = $97
Parents repaid = $2
You = $1
97 + 2 + 1 = 100.
No money vanished. The only trick is the wording.
