Three salesmen decided to share a $30 hotel room for one night and split the cost evenly between them.
After they checked in, the hotel manager noticed that they should have been charged only $25 for the room. So, he gave the porter five one-dollar bills and said to return the money to the three men.
As the porter was walking to the salesmen's room, he wondered how he was going to split the five dollars evenly between the three salesmen. So, he put two dollars in his pocket and gave each of the three salesmen one dollar.
Now, if each of the salesmen paid $10 for their share of the room and were given one dollar back, then they each would have paid $9 for the room. Nine times three is twenty-seven, plus the two dollars the porter put in his own pocket is twenty-nine (9 x 3 = 27. 27 + 2 = $29)
Where is the other dollar?
2006-07-10 10:30:54 · 14 answers · asked by mwhorseman 1 in Business & Finance ➔ Personal Finance
You can't add the $2 back to what they paid. You have to subtract it from what they think the hotel received! In other words 3 X $9 = $27. Subtract the missing $2 and you get the correct total of $25. (They believed that the hotel received $27, but he actually netted only $25).
The correct question is where is the hotel's other $2? Answer: it's in the porter's pocket.
Now, if you want to subtract the $2 from what the salesmen paid you have to give it back to them. You could say that if the porter felt guilty and later returned the other $2 then each salesman would get back an additional $0.66 ($2/3). Now each has paid $8.33 or a total of $24.99.
The extra penny was the porter's tip!
2006-07-10 10:48:06 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
They paid 10 each originally. Each got 3 back the porter kept two.
30-5=25 +3+2=30
2006-07-10 10:35:51 · answer #2 · answered by billy g 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The room was $25, not $30. Nine times three is twenty-seven, MINUS the $2 the porter pocketed, equals 25.
2006-07-10 10:34:59 · answer #3 · answered by Cão Bravo 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They should have paid $25 + the $2 that was pocketed = $27 is $9 per person.
2006-07-10 10:39:06 · answer #4 · answered by Steve 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
they paid $25 for the room + $2 for the bellboy = $27 + the $3 they got back = $30.
2006-07-10 10:34:38 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
That would be true but your equation is in the wrong order.
10x3=30 (amount each paid)
30-5=25 (refund)
25+3=28 (monies given back to men)
28+2=30 (poceted by bell boy)
2006-07-10 10:38:19 · answer #6 · answered by Jordan 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This is a clasic case of order of operations. When seting up an equation it has to be the thirty dollars the men spent minus the five they got back as 3+2. It has to be solved using PEMDAS peranthesies. exponents. multiplication. division. addision. subtraction. (10x3)-(3+2)
30-5
25
meaning every dollar is accounted for as you can do the equation backward, but it is a great riddle
2006-07-10 10:39:06 · answer #7 · answered by me 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
+$25.00 room
+ 3.00 returned to salesmen
+ 2.00 pocketed by porter
______
$30.00
9*3=27-2=25 charged for the room
2006-07-10 10:45:13 · answer #8 · answered by machinator 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This is a good one but you are using false reasoning which is why it seems that the dollar is missing.
2006-07-10 10:34:05 · answer #9 · answered by JaneB 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You are playing with numbers
2006-07-10 10:35:55 · answer #10 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋