Is Mathematics fiction or fact?

Question

3 men go into a motel.
The man behind the desk said the room is $30, so each man paid $10 and went to the room.

A while later the man behind the desk realized the room was only $25, so he sent the bellboy to the 3 guy's room with $5.

On the way the bellboy couldn't figure out how to split $5 evenly between 3 men, so he gave each man a $1 and kept the other $2 for himself.

This meant that the 3 men each paid $9 for the room, which is a total of $27, add the $2 that the bellboy kept = $29.

Where is the other Dollar?

Answer 1

This particular item stumps a good many people because it contains a simple error which is often overlooked due to its deceptive wording. Tracking the money through the transactions reveals that no money has gone missing:

1) The three men start out with $10 each ($10 x 3 = $30).

2) The three men pay $30 for a hotel room. Afterwards, a five dollar overcharge is returned to them ($25 + $5 = $30).

3) The bellboy divides up the $5 overcharge, returning $1 to each of the three men (for a total of $3) and keeping $2 for himself ($25 + $3 + $2 = $30).

Where did the missing dollar go? Nowhere. A dollar only goes "missing" because the statement "each man paid $9 for the room" is wrong -- each of three men paid out a total of $9, but that $9 included both the room charge and the bellboy's tip. All in all, each man paid out a total of $9 and had $1 left over, completely accounting for the $30 they started with.

The room cost $25, so each man paid one-third of that cost ($8.33). The bellboy kept a tip of $2, so each man paid one-third of that cost ($0.67) as well. Overall, each man paid out $9 ($8.33 + $0.67) and had a dollar left over: (3 x $9) + (3 x $1) = $27 + $3 = $30.

Answer 2

Lets read it in perspective:

The 3 guys paid $25 for the room
+ $2 to the boy for services = $27

and each spent $9 (x3) =$27

A good quesion never the less.

Mathematics is non dual it could only be used as a fact or fiction based on the users intensions and skillsets

Answer 3

No, they paid 25 dollars for the room, add the $2 for the bell boy, that's 27.

Answer 4

Der is right. Funny but true. The simplest things can confuse folks with the smallest of errors. Excellent explination

Answer 5

the guy at the desk had kept it i reckon - jus so he can get a sweety bag worth 1 dollar, and enjoy himself (can u get sweety bags for 1 dollar, im not sure - well duh i am NBritsh at the end of the day)