Are you smart?

Please help stop my brain from melting. I can't figure this out for the life of me.

3 men book into a motel, sharing a room. The desk clerk told them the room was
$30.00, so each man paid $10.00 and went to the room.

A short while later the desk clerk realized the room was only $25.00 so he sent
the bellboy to the room with $5.00... unfortunately, the bellboy was math
impaired and couldn't figure out how to split $5.00 between the three guests.

So, he gave each man $1.00 and kept $2.00 for himself.

This meant that each guest paid $9.00 for the room, plus the $2.00 the bellboy
kept = $29.00.

The question then is, WHERE is the other Dollar?!?!?!

Anyone?

1. Technically each man paid $9.33333333333etcetc for the room, not $9.00. Their combined extra dollar is in the till, of course.

2. This is BTS. We should not look at details so exhaustively, even when they provide the simple answer. We should wildly speculate about what the three men were doing in the room, and sycophants of the three men should leap to their defence with implausible cover-ups, obfuscations and token explanations.

This is just bad math, but funny none the less. You could look at it another way.

They each paid $9 9 * 3 = 27
They each have $1 1 * 3 = 3
the bellboy has $2 2
______
Now we have a total of 32

Where did the extra $2 come from. It's the mixing of apples and oranges that messes everything up.

Alternatively,

They all paid $10 = 0
They all got $1 each back = 3
The bellboy kept $2 = 2

And Ravenna went for a lie down

Math - ugh !!!



[Edited on 30-11-2004 by Ravenna]

LOL i've said this to people just to make them go a little crazy, they'll sit their for weeks trying to make it work out, i love it!!!! the best part is when they get 30 one dollar bills and count them over and over again.

Originally posted by MaskedAvatar
1. Technically each man paid $9.33333333333etcetc for the room, not $9.00. Their combined extra dollar is in the till, of course.

2. This is BTS. We should not look at details so exhaustively, even when they provide the simple answer. We should wildly speculate about what the three men were doing in the room, and sycophants of the three men should leap to their defence with implausible cover-ups, obfuscations and token explanations.

The answer is in the way the question is worded. You cannot add what one person HAS to what someone else has PAID and come up with any kind of a meaningful number, you have to subtract.
Each man has paid $9.
The bellhop has $2.
Difference
$9 x 3 = $27
2
$25

The hotel clerk has the other 25 dollars.
To look at it from the standpoint of the original $30. Each man has $1.
The bellhop has $2.
The hotel clerk has $25.
Total
$1 x 3 = $3
2
25
$30

Look at it from the standpoint of the original $30.
Each man has $1. ($3 total)
The bellhop has $2.
The hotel clerk has $25.

$3 (from the 3 men) + $2 (the bellhop) + $25 (desk clerk) = $30 (total of all money transacted)

In essence, this is the best answer to the question...

Much ado about $1.

But did anyone notice that the guys should have paid $8.33 each for the $25 bill, not $9.33 as reported by this observant accountant?

*snicker*

Both the bellhop and the hotel should be charged with larceny. Unless they are Bush cronies, of course.

This was fun.

I like the way Ravenna put it, very simple the way you put it Ravenna.

They paid $30, but the room was $25........hmm....ok........carry the one..........GOT IT!!! they paid $30, sent the bell boy back with $5 each of them got $1 back which leaves $27 the bellboy took $2 which leaves $25 which is what they paid for the room. You added instead of minusing!

No, I am not smart. Any other questions?