Viral Brain Teaser: Can you find out how much money the store lost?

In the digital age, where content spreads like wildfire, it’s no surprise that a simple math brain teaser has taken the internet by storm. The $100 puzzle, which challenges users to figure out how much money a store lost when a thief stole a $100 bill and then made a purchase, has racked up millions of views and sparked intense debate among puzzle enthusiasts.

The brain teaser, which was shared on X (formerly Twitter) by an account called Out of Context Human Race, presents a seemingly straightforward scenario. A man steals a $100 bill from a store’s register, then uses that same bill to buy $70 worth of goods, receiving $30 in change. The question then asks, “How much money did the store lose?”

As the brain teaser gained traction online, a multitude of responses flooded the comments section. Some individuals confidently stated that the store lost $100, while others argued that the net loss was actually $130, taking into account the stolen $100 and the $30 in change. A few even suggested that the store’s overall loss depended on the profit margins of the individual transactions.