can someone tell me the correct answer to this puzzle?

Question

Three men go into a hotel and pay £10.00 each for a room. Later the receptionist realises she has over charged them and instead of £30.00 she should have charged £25.00.

She takes 5 x £1.00 coins up to the room and the men take £1.00 each and give the receptionist £2.00.
This means that the men have all paid £9.00 each for the room 3 x 9 = 27 they gave the receptionist £2 what the hell happened to the other £1.00

Help its driving me and about 30 others mad

Answer 1

I've read all the answers, and some are correct, but a little confusing in the way they're explained. Let's see if I can explain it any better:-

Each man has paid only £9 (£10 paid originally - £1 refund) = £27

£2 was given to the receptionist + Cost of the room £25 = £27.

I really hope this makes sense and clears up your quandry, it would make my day to think I have released 30 people from confusion.

Answer 2

Nothing.

There is an initial $30 charge. It should have been $25, so $5 must be returned and accounted for. $3 is given to the 3 friends, $2 is kept by the bellhop - there you have the $5. The trick to this riddle is that the addition and subtraction are done at the wrong times to misdirect your thinking - and quite successfully for most. Each of the 3 friends did indeed pay $9, not $10, and as far as the friends are concerned, they paid $27 for the night. But we know that the clerk will tell us that they were charged only $25 and when you add the $3 returned with the $2 kept by the bellhop, you come up with $30.

Answer 3

The math is wrong 30-25=5-3=2 to the receptionist is 0

Answer 4

The men pay £10 each. When they should have paid £25 split between the 3 of them that's £8.33 each. So they were over-charged by £1.67. The receptionist has given them a £1 each back. She has kept £2 for herself. So there is 3 X 67p to be accounted for. Which is £2.01 and of course the receptionist has it. But what happened to that missing 1p? lol

Answer 5

stage 1
man a,b and c have £10 each. there is nothing in till or receptionists pocket. i.e. 10+10+10+0+0 = 30
stage 2
they pay receptionist i.e. 0+0+0+30+0 = 30
stage 3
refund men £1 and keep £2 i.e. 1+1+1+25+2 = 30
men have paid £25 for room have £1 each and receptionist has £2

Answer 6

This is actually a mis-phrased question that makes it seem so wierd. The room was £25 which devided by the three of them was £8.33 each. They paid £10 each so she actually owes them £1.66 each, not £1 each.

£1.66 x 3 is a fiver or nearenough.

The misphrasing comes in by taking £27 and adding £2 making £29. What should be done is to take £27 and subtract the £2 making £25 which is the price of the room.

Easy really!

Answer 7

Oh, for f**ks sake.

The receptionist gives them back £1 each, so she's £3 down from the original £30.

If the cost of three rooms is £25, then they're £8.33 each, so she'll have to split the £1 coins...

I can't believe 30 people are struggling with this.

Answer 8

Basically, the addition and the subtraction are done at the wrong time:
The men have taken £3 back
so there is £27
and then the receptionist took £2 back
so there is £25
Which is what they should've paid. Ta daaaa.
Just ignore the wording of that puzzle!

Answer 9

initial amount 30. 10 each. She went back with 5 so 25 remained with her. then she came back with 2 so 25+2 = 27 remained with her. This is equal to 9 X 3 = 27 that they spent.

Answer 10

The £3 that is left over is actually their change, the £27 is made up of £25 for the room & £2 for the maid. It's all there!