The math isn't mathing. I heard this one years ago, and I still love it. I wanted to see if you could figure it out.

A banker has a pile of cash in front of him. He's counting quickly, trying to keep up with the line of customers. He glances at the stacks, does a little mental math, and announces, "Looks like $4,100 here."

Now, you might nod along, assuming the numbers add up. After all, a banker knows his numbers, right? But something in the back of your mind whispers, "That doesn't feel right." So, you ask politely if you can take a closer look.

You start recounting the stacks, slowly, carefully, one by one. You make sure each stack is neat and uniform. And then, when you finish, you look up at the banker. Your eyes widen. The total isn't $4,100 - it's $5,000. Wait, what happened?

How could the banker be off by $900? That's not a rounding error or a misplacement of a single bill. Something doesn't add up.

Here's the thing: it's all about assumptions. The banker counted fast, assuming every stack had the same number of bills. In his mind, each stack had exactly 100 bills. Quick multiplication and mental arithmetic gave him $4,100. But not all stacks were equal. Some were thicker. Some had been restacked by someone else. Some stacks were missing bills here and there, while others had extra tucked inside.

The "math" wasn't wrong. It was the assumption that caused the miscount. When you went through each stack carefully, making no assumptions, the true total came out to $5,000.

This riddle isn't really about adding money. It's about paying attention, questioning assumptions, and noticing that sometimes numbers lie to you if you don't check the details.

So next time you see a stack of bills, don't just trust the first count. And remember, even a banker can get it wrong if the stacks aren't what he assumes. Quick math feels good, but careful counting always wins in the end.

Now, I'll ask you: what did you assume when you read $4,100? That's exactly what the banker did, and that's why the math didn't math.

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Until next time -
Donny @ Gopher Update