The following was rather widely quoted a few years ago. It bothered one banker so much that he made a hasty trip to consult his neighbor, a college professor of mathematics. Assume we make a deposit of $50 in a bank.
withdraw $20.00 leaving $30.00 now withdraw 15.00 leaving 15.00 now withdraw 9.00 leaving 6.00 now withdraw 6.00 leaving 0.00 ------ ------ $50.00 $51.00We now present our figures to the bank, showing the discrepancy, and demand the extra dollar. Repeat ten thousand times, and retire for a while.
— Cecil B. Read, “Mathematical Fallacies,” School Science and Mathematics, June 1933