3 men stay in a hotel and the cost is £10 per night - total £30.
they settle the bill the next day paying £10 each again total £30. they leave the hotel and the owner likes the men so he gives the porter £5 and tells him to run after the men and give them the £5. the porter is slightly dishonest and keeps £2 for himself and gives each man £1 back.
now the men have paid £9 (£27) and the porter has £2 so the total is now £29 - where is the other £1.
2007-09-22 08:38:53 · 9 answers · asked by bbb321 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Mathematics
What other £1??
Each guy pays £9
Total - £27
In the till - £25
In the thieving porter's pocket - £2
Total £27
2007-09-22 08:46:51 · answer #1 · answered by Al 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The final sentence in the question should be:
"now the men have paid £9 (£27) and the porter has £2 so the total is now £25."
Therefore £1 is not lost. The £3 returned to the 3 male guests and the £2 taken by the porter represents a deduction of £5 from the original £30.
2007-09-22 15:54:22 · answer #2 · answered by €sote®i© ™ 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
deduct the £5 from the £30 leaving £25 . Add on the £3 given back and the £2 the porter took and you get £30
2007-09-22 15:56:51 · answer #3 · answered by david w 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The owner gives them £5 and £2 is kept by the porter, £2 is given to the other two men. £4 is given out. the owner has the other £1.
2007-09-23 04:42:22 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The mean have not paid £9 each.
£5 was refunded meaning the total bill was £25
So each of the men had payed 1/3 of £25 = 8.33 (recurring)
They each got £1 back off the porter meaning they had each paid £9.33 (recurring).
£9.33 (recurring) x the three men = £28 plus the £2 the porter kept =£30
2007-09-22 16:01:48 · answer #5 · answered by steve 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Unfortunately, the answer isn't gratifying enough for such a simple yet puzzling question :)
Working backwards, how much did each person pay? Clearly, 10 dollars at first. But after the 5 refund, the porter kept $2 to himself, so each guest paid 28/3 , and not 9 dollars!
2007-09-22 15:52:15 · answer #6 · answered by TheMPower 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They paid £27 (£9 each), which is £25 for the bill and £2 for the waiter. The question deliberately confuses you by adding £2 to £27 to get £29 when it should subtract £2 from £27 to get £25.
2007-09-22 15:51:39 · answer #7 · answered by ???? 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It should be £27 - £2 = £25.Which is their bill. You can't do it your way...I'll give you another example...
How many fingers (and thumbs) have you on your hands?...
10, obviously. However, if you start counting down on your left hand beginning with your index finger..(go on do it with me, to humour me..
10.. 9.. 8..7..6......plus the 5 on your left hand makes..11.
You can't count down in one case and up in the other.
2007-09-22 15:52:46 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's in the Owner's pocket, having a party with ten pound notes!
2007-09-22 15:48:39 · answer #9 · answered by KateBea 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋