I heard this from a friend, and about a year later when I reminded him about it, he insisted that the total price had been $1.05 all along. I suspect he got mixed up over the past year, because he has been known to forget details like this, in other things. But he can readily take any new riddle and solve it very fast, so long as it's not deceptively tricky (such as the bicycles in the alley one, for instance).
When I told him that $1.05 effectively makes for a new problem, he denied it. I then gave him the correct answer for the new problem and challenged him to show me any such pricing on any item in any store in town, and he changed the subject (I guess he is unwilling or else unable to do that).
Can anyone say what the new prices would be for a total price of $1.05, and the Bat is still $1 more than the ball?
TKGS: This would be an opportunity for you to show how your formula works!