3 men rented a hotel room for $30 & split the cost 3 ways, $10 each. After they left the office, the desk clerk discovered that he had overcharged by $5. He sent the bellman to refund it. On the way the bellman remembered that they didn't tip him for carrying their bags. So he gave each of them $1 and kept the other $2 for himself. This means that each man was charged $9- a total of $27. Add the $2 that the bellman kept, and the total is $29. But the three men originally paid $30. What happened to the missing dollar?
2007-01-29 02:03:45 · 11 answers · asked by dawno 2 in Education & Reference ➔ Homework Help
You have to keep separate that which is real and that which is apparent. See you need to look at it theis way. The room cost $25, the bellman kept $2 and $1 got returned to each of the three which is $3. So 25 + 2 +3 = $30. There is no missing dollar. It appears so when you look only at what each of the men thought they paid but inreality, counting the money the bellman kept, they ended up paying 27 dollars among them, 2 + 25 =27. Then 27 + 3 (returned)= 30.
Hope this helps !
2007-01-29 02:16:05 · answer #1 · answered by This, That & such 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Imagine the bellman decides to keep the 5 dollars, then each man is charged $10
According to the piece of logic above:
$10 times 3 = $30
+ the $5 the bellman keeps = $35...
The correct reasoning is:
Each man pays $9: a total of 27 MINUS the $2 the bellman kept= $25 which is the price of the room.
You can also say:
Each gave $10 = $30 they got each $1 back = $27 minus the $2 the bellman kept = $25
Nice one though, took me a while to figure it out (I had heard it before)
2007-01-29 02:18:50 · answer #2 · answered by Steven Z 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
At first, there seems to be $1 missing...but, $25 is at the desk, $2 is w/the bellman, and $3 is w/the men for a total of $30. Another way to look at it is this....The room was actually only $25, they each paid $9 for a total of $27-$2 for the bellman=$25.
2007-01-29 02:18:54 · answer #3 · answered by bamagirl 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
$30 is not the base. There is no reason to add the $2 to the $27. Rather the Hotel got $25 the Bellhop got $2 and the men each paid $9 (x3 for a total of 27). See the 27 is the total the men paid in the end, so that includes the 2 the bellhop got (and the 25 the hotel got)
2007-01-29 02:14:44 · answer #4 · answered by hasse_john 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Actually its more complicated than that. If the desk clerk overcharged them five dollars, then the original cost of the room must have been twenty five dollars. Since each man only paid ten. for a total of thirty. The bell hop decided by giving them each a dollar back that the room would cost 27 dollars total and it all works out. If the men had paid 35 dollars total, then the total cost plus bell hop graft would be 32 dollars not 27.
2007-01-29 02:17:23 · answer #5 · answered by Huey from Ohio 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This is widely known as a mathamatical error. I have puzzled many with the same question. But it is the way it is worded because if you say they were overchaged by £5 on a purchase that should have been £25 you gave back £3 so they paid £28 plus £2 in the pocket -£30.
2007-01-29 02:18:29 · answer #6 · answered by Robert S 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Nothing happened to it really. The room should have cost them $25 total instead of $30. Splitting the 25 three ways each man should only paid 8.33 not $9. So the dollar comes in at .33+.33+.33= .99/ 1.00.
2007-01-29 02:16:48 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Improper book keeping. not all the credits and debits are accounted for. This is one way book keepers embezzle money.
2007-01-29 02:12:30 · answer #8 · answered by Sophist 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Ghosts took it~~! Or maybe Aliens they get blamed for everything else that is missing =0~~!!!!
2007-01-29 02:13:46 · answer #9 · answered by crazy/smart guy 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
there wasn't change left over.
2007-01-29 02:21:59 · answer #10 · answered by hippy 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋