This brainteaser from ITV’s The 1% Club has been melting minds everywhere (whether you are left or right handed)
This time of year the newspapers (back when we all used to read them) are full of end of year quizzes and the like.
So here is just one particular quiz question to get your thinking caps on while you fill the days between Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve.
It’s from ITV’s rather good quiz show, The 1% Club with Lee Mack, and it’s a proper brainteaser!
Do you know ?
In a room of 100 people, 99% are left-handed. How many left-handed people have to leave the room to bring that percentage down to 98% ? pic.twitter.com/vJtgrF6VfV
— WeGotitBack (@NotFarLeftAtAll) December 15, 2024
And it didn’t send the entire internet into meltdown, it has to be said. Just most of it.
This person seemed confident that the answer is two.
2 have to leave.
Since 100 is reduced to 99, we need to ensure the remaining percentage is calculated for 99=100%
To achieve 98%, x = (98/100)*99 = 97.02 which is rounded to 97.
99-97=2. So 2 people will have to leave— TeaChaiLa (@TeaChaiLa) December 16, 2024
But this person was even more confident that it’s 50.
Let me solve this step by step.
1. Initially:
* Total people = 100
* Left-handed = 99 people (99%)
* Right-handed = 1 person (1%)2. Let's say x left-handed people leave
* New total = 100 – x
* New left-handed = 99 – x
* New right-handed = 1 (unchanged)3. We…
— RyanRejoice (@sonicshifts) December 16, 2024
Not everyone agreed though.
All the people saying 50 are downright pathetic and embarassing.
— Chris Williams (@chrisalfw) December 15, 2024
Except quite a few did! An awful lot, in fact.
Easiest way to explain the answer:
99% is one in a hundred.
98% is two in a hundred.
Two in a hundred is the same as one in fifty.
So fifty people need to leave the room to make that 98% work.— Onno ter Wisscha (@owisscha) December 16, 2024
One thing’s for sure, it’s definitely not this (sorry @Robbycool1991)
50
— Robert Hart (@Robbycool1991) December 16, 2024
It’s 50, it’s definitely 50.
The value of each person including the person who is not left-handed is 1% . This changes to 2%, which means the maximum number of people left in the room must be 50. Therefore 50 left-handed people must leave, leaving 49 lefthanders and 1 other.
— James Fenirec ️ (@fenirec) December 15, 2024
Meaning 1% are right handed, how to double it to 2%, by halving the sample size, ie 50
— Touchatoute (@touchatoute) December 15, 2024
Your mind instantly goes to 1 because of the 99-98, but it’s wrong.
The answer would be 50 left handed people need to leave.
You have 100 people in the room and 99 are left handed so 1 is right handed.
If 50 left handed people leave you are left with 49 left handed people and…
— Ryan Health Wealth (@RDhealthwealth) December 15, 2024
That’s all very well, but now we’re so confused we’ve forgotten how to write.
The amount of people getting this wrong is insane. https://t.co/dAaSGjPHyM
— Travis (@travadol) December 16, 2024
And if that’s got you in the mood, watch a whole bunch of The 1% Club on ITV here!
This isn’t an entirely positive note to end on, but it did make us smile.
Complete bollocks.
— John Biddall (@biddall_john) December 16, 2024
You tell ’em, John!
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Source @NotFarLeftAtAll