Perception Challenge: How to Make $1 Disappear!

Three people decide to get a hotel room. The room costs $30. Each chips in $10, they pay the clerk, and head up to room 310.

The manager reviews the transaction and sees that en error has been made. The clerk forgot to give the $5 rebate that was advertised as the Tuesday special.

The manager opens the cash drawer and pulls out 5 one dollar bills. He hands them to the clerk and sais, "Bring this money up to room three-ten and apologize for the mistake."

In the elevator on the way up, the clerk figures that no one will know if he decides to keep a few bucks for himself. So, he puts two dollars in his pocket and keeps only three singles in his hand.

When the guests open their room door, the clerk apologizes and tells them that he forgot to apply a rebate special to their bill. Each of the three guests recieves one single dollar bill, bringing their individual cost down to $9 each for the room.

If each person paid $9 for the room, that is a total of $27 for the cost of the room after recieving their portion of the rebate.

If you then add the portion of the rebate which the clerk decided to keep to the $27 you reach a total of $29. But the total cost of the room was originally $30.

Where did the other dollar go?!

Eh... I'm usually really bad with these things but I'll have a go at it.

The only missing $1 I see is in one of the clients' pocket.

The clients came in with $30. They paid $27 in total ($25 for the room and $2 for the clerk's mischief) and kept $3 in total. You can't add the $2 that the clerk kept to the $27 they paid - those $2 are already included in the $27.

The missing money from the $27 is in their pockets - the $3 they got back. In the end, the manager has $25, the clerk has $2 and they have $1 each - 25+2+1+1+1=30

I think.

But a total of $27 was paid. Two dollars were stolen from the rebate, not the $27 dollars paid. This still only equals $29.

reply to post by jackinthebox


Hm... wait... after paying $30 they only got $3 back (instead of the $5). The $2 that the clerk kept are therefore included in the $27, no? Each paid $9 because the clerk pocketed $2. Otherwise they would've paid in total $25.

In the end they paid $25 to the manager and $2 to the clerk (there's your $27) having gotten $3 back. So I think it goes 27+3, not 27+2. Or 25+2+3 if you wish. But never 27+2. That being the case you still have the $3 they got back in which case instead of missing $1 you have $2 extra - the $27 paid, the $2 stolen plus the $3 they got back = $32.

The $2 stolen are therefore included in the money paid so we can't add them to the $27. The only number that can be added to that ammount is the $3 that they got back.

But I could be confusing myself all over the place.

Originally posted by InTrueFiction
Hm... wait... after paying $30 they only got $3 back (instead of the $5). The $2 that the clerk kept are therefore included in the $27, no? Each paid $9 because the clerk pocketed $2. Otherwise they would've paid in total $25.

That's the correct answer. $25 in the till + $2 in the pocket + $3 with the customers.

reply to post by jackinthebox


Firstly, a total of $25 was paid, not $27.

The clerk kept $2 of the $5 refund and the guests got $1 each = $3
thus 2 + 3 = 5
+ 25 = 30.

Just shows you can do anything with numbers!

As far as the manager was concerned, the guests paid (after refund) about $8.33 each for the room.
The guests, however, because of the deceit of the clerk, think they have paid $9 each for the room, but they didn't, they 'paid' the clerk $2 for his 'troubles'....probably just a tip anyway...but still only paid $8.33 each.

The $1 isn't missing, was just a tricky piece of accounting!

I'm really wondering what 3 people were doing in a $30 hotel room!

After rebate, they laid out a total of $27 in cash for the room. If you add that to the $2 in the clerks pocket, it still comes out to $29.

Originally posted by jackinthebox
I'm really wondering what 3 people were doing in a $30 hotel room!

After rebate, they laid out a total of $27 in cash for the room. If you add that to the $2 in the clerks pocket, it still comes out to $29.

Yep, it does if you do it that way.
But: they initially paid $30
The boss tries to refund $5
Thus they paid $25
The clerk gives them $3
=$28
and keeps $2
=$30


The $2 the clerk kept could be hush money for the activities, or there could be 3 beds, or one big bed. Whatever, I hope they had fun, and consent lol.

Originally posted by jackinthebox
I'm really wondering what 3 people were doing in a $30 hotel room!

After rebate, they laid out a total of $27 in cash for the room. If you add that to the $2 in the clerks pocket, it still comes out to $29.

Except the $2 in the clerks pocket is included in the $27. Each of the customers paid $9, which equals $27. $25 of those dollars went to the hotel and $2 went to the clerk. That's $27 dollars total.

Really, these stop being fun when you keep lying about the math

the 27 is not right. There was 30 dollars total paid. Then the 5 dollar rebate. That's 25 dollars in the cash drawer.

Then you got the clerk who has 5 dollars. That's the 30 dollars.

The clerk give back to the people 3 dollars and keeps 2 dollars. Still 5 dollars.

Each person gets 3 dollars back = 3
The clerk kept the 2 dollars==== 2
And the hotel has the 25 dollars =25

Looks like 30 dollars to me. It should be subtracted not added.

Each person paid 9 dollars = 27
the clerk took the 2 dollars= 2

27-2=25
There is no missing dollar. The people have paid $27 and have kept $3 for themselves and that adds up to $30. It's a mistake in math! You cannot total the clerks total twice, it's already included in the $27 the people have paid. The equation is incorrect...if they paid $27 and the clerk kept $2...then that does not add up to anything.

27 paid by the people, they then keep the 3 dollars given back which equals 25 paid, then a dollar each back to each person equals 3 dollars plus the 2 to the clerk=$30

Edit to add the last part.

[edit on 12/9/2007 by Solarskye]

I'm just gonna let this run for a while.

Those of you who know what you know, well, you know what you know.

And remember, no matter where you go, there you are.

Originally posted by Solarskye
..if they paid $27 and the clerk kept $2...then that does not add up to anything.

Well...it adds up to $29!

Just wanted to show the dangers of selective quoting