Discuss this brain teaser?

[Crystla24]

Three men get a hotel room for a night. At the front desk, the clerk charges them $30, and each man pays $10. Later that evening, realizing the room should only have cost $25, and he has overcharged the men by $5, the clerk hands the bellhop five $1 bills and asks him to take the money and divide it between the men. Realizing that he couldn't evenly divide the $5, the bellhop pockets $2 and gives each man a $1 bill. The men began by paying $10 each, or $30 total for the room; each man has now paid only $9, and the bellhop has taken $2. But 9 x 3 + 2 = 29, not 30. So what happened to the other dollar?


Thought this was interesting, don't know exactly how it works though Figured if I was going to be brain busted I would share :P

 

[Approaching Infinity]

Three men get a hotel room for a night. At the front desk, the clerk charges them $30, and each man pays $10. Later that evening, realizing the room should only have cost $25, and he has overcharged the men by $5, the clerk hands the bellhop five $1 bills and asks him to take the money and divide it between the men. Realizing that he couldn't evenly divide the $5, the bellhop pockets $2 and gives each man a $1 bill. The men began by paying $10 each, or $30 total for the room; each man has now paid only $9, and the bellhop has taken $2. But 9 x 3 + 2 = 29, not 30. So what happened to the other dollar?


Thought this was interesting, don't know exactly how it works though Figured if I was going to be brain busted I would share :P

That equation is misleading. Each man has paid 9 dollars, 2 of which has gone to the bellhop (9 x 3 = 27 = 25 + 2). They each got three in back from the original 30. So 27 (or 25 + 2) + 3 = 30.

 

[Al Today]

Point is: All a matter of presentation...
I used to pull that on accountants for fun. When some dastardly cars sales people used math trickery, I then showed them what I called that the missing dollar theory. My kids have seen this in action. Some people can get fleeced, ripped off in buying big ticket items when presented with misleading figures. Sooner or later the buyer sees they got ripped, usually too late. One reason for saying: Let Buyer Beware...
:D :D :D


3 dudes @10 apiece = 30.
Whoa: Sale price = 25.
Give bellhop 5 to take back to the 3 dudes.
Bellhop can't divide 5 by 3 evenly, so...
Bellhop keeps 2.
Gives 3 back to the dudes.
Each dude get's 1 back.
Means each dude paid 9.
Bellhop kept 2.
3 * 9 = 27 + 2 = 29
nyuk nyuk nyuk
Ripped-Off

edit: In using this a naive buyer thinks they paid 29 instead of 30. Big Sale, yep yep. Then the paper work comes in, the bill is now due, and the buyer says WTH.?.?.?

 

[Peam]

Another way of looking at it is the men spent $27. The hotel got $25 of it and the bellhop got $2.

 

[truth seeker]

Three men get a hotel room for a night. At the front desk, the clerk charges them $30, and each man pays $10. Later that evening, realizing the room should only have cost $25, and he has overcharged the men by $5, the clerk hands the bellhop five $1 bills and asks him to take the money and divide it between the men. Realizing that he couldn't evenly divide the $5, the bellhop pockets $2 and gives each man a $1 bill. The men began by paying $10 each, or $30 total for the room; each man has now paid only $9, and the bellhop has taken $2. But 9 x 3 + 2 = 29, not 30. So what happened to the other dollar?


Thought this was interesting, don't know exactly how it works though Figured if I was going to be brain busted I would share :P

That equation is misleading. Each man has paid 9 dollars, 2 of which has gone to the bellhop (9 x 3 = 27 = 25 + 2). They each got three in back from the original 30. So 27 (or 25 + 2) + 3 = 30.

That's what I got.

 

[Crystla24]

Three men get a hotel room for a night. At the front desk, the clerk charges them $30, and each man pays $10. Later that evening, realizing the room should only have cost $25, and he has overcharged the men by $5, the clerk hands the bellhop five $1 bills and asks him to take the money and divide it between the men. Realizing that he couldn't evenly divide the $5, the bellhop pockets $2 and gives each man a $1 bill. The men began by paying $10 each, or $30 total for the room; each man has now paid only $9, and the bellhop has taken $2. But 9 x 3 + 2 = 29, not 30. So what happened to the other dollar?


Thought this was interesting, don't know exactly how it works though Figured if I was going to be brain busted I would share :P

That equation is misleading. Each man has paid 9 dollars, 2 of which has gone to the bellhop (9 x 3 = 27 = 25 + 2). They each got three in back from the original 30. So 27 (or 25 + 2) + 3 = 30.

Now that I see AI's solution, you can also say 30-3=27 27-2=25. Not too hard if applying it backwards either

 

[clerck de bonk]

OMG, OMG

I can't have any rest if don't "bend" this 'round my head. Let's see...

Three men pay 30(10 each) but should get 5 back(1 2/3 each)
... but they only get 1 back, which makes... 25/3+1=91/3
The men have payed 91/3 each, which taken three times means...... 28!

BAAAD BELLBOY! GIT BACK 'ERE!