You'll need good problem solving skills to solve pizza brainteaser that floors many

An unassuming brainteaser about splitting the cost of a pizza in a restaurant has left people totally gobsmacked – as it's harder than you'd think to figure out

If you've been guilty of endlessly scrolling, you may find your attention span decreasing dramatically. We are inundated with short, social media clips, news soundbites, and instant messaging, which can cause a brain overload.

However, there are certain tasks you can do to keep your brain ticking over. Puzzles and brainteasers are a great way to keep the mind active, and ensure you don't hit a mental slump whether that's at your desk or at home. And this one is no exception – as people have been left scratching their heads over the pizza challenge, which asks you to find out how the bill has been split.

The question reads: "Three men go out for pizza. The bill comes to thirty pounds (£30). The three men each give the waiter a £10 note.

"The waiter returned to the kitchen only to be told that there had been a mistake and that the bill should have been £25. So they have been over paid by £5.

"The waiter realises that he does not know how to share £5 between three people. He also realised that the three men would appreciate any rebate.

"So he took£5 out from the till, put £2 in his pocket and gave the three men a £1 coin each.

"So each man paid £9 and the waiter kept two pounds. But three nines are 27, so adding the £2 in the waiter’s pocket gives a total of £29. So where is the missing £1?"

Answer

Can you figure out the answer? You'll need to use maths skills and common sense to work it out.

Stop scrolling unless you want to read spoilers – as we're about to share the solution below.

The simple calculation is that each of them paid £9 which amounts to £27, out of which £25 was for the pizza and £2 for the tip.

As expected the riddle is meant to mislead you into believing 'three nines are 27, plus the £2 the waiter kept makes £29..." – however, there is no missing £1.

Instead, the common confusion comes from adding the £2 twice - once inside the £27, and then again outside it.

If you want to keep the conundrums going, the Record has a festival inspired brainteaser that is sure to get the cogs turning.

Alternatively, try this blackboard puzzle to see how good your attention to detail is.