Where's the dollar

[pirate@43]

Three friends take a room for three in a hotel. Each one pays Ten Dollars
Later, the owner decides to make a rebate of Five Dollars to these people.
He calls an assistant and hand over to him Five Dollars to gives this money to the men who had rented the room.
The assistant does not know how to divide Five Dollars between three people, and decides to keep Two Dollars for himself.
He gives One Dollar to each man.
Therefore, each man paid only Nine Dollars for the room.

If 3 men paid 9.00 each one to rent a room (9.00 X 3 = 27.00)
and the assistant keeps 2.00
(27.00 + 2.00 = 29.00)

[z-man]

Three friends take a room for three in a hotel. Each one pays Ten Dollars
Later, the owner decides to make a rebate of Five Dollars to these people.
He calls an assistant and hand over to him Five Dollars to gives this money to the men who had rented the room.
The assistant does not know how to divide Five Dollars between three people, and decides to keep Two Dollars for himself.
He gives One Dollar to each man.
Therefore, each man paid only Nine Dollars for the room.

If 3 men paid 9.00 each one to rent a room (9.00 X 3 = 27.00)
and the assistant keeps 2.00
(27.00 + 2.00 = 29.00)

But $27 minus $2 is $25, which is what the owner got for the room that night.

Classic misdirection

[oneparticularwino]

There is no MISSING dollar.

$27.00 that the each man paid for the room
$3.00 given back to each man
$2.00 kept by the assistant

= $32.00 Total


So, the question IS....

Where did the EXTRA $2.00 come from??????

[Burny Charles]

Ha! That is one of those classic ones that can be hard to rationalize in the brain. It creates some nerve endings, especially when one of the lines looks like it is from a 419 email scam.


I love the rebuttal too OPW. I wish had heard of that a few years ago when I first heard that brain teaser.

[popcornjack]

Three friends take a room for three in a hotel. Each one pays Ten Dollars
Later, the owner decides to make a rebate of Five Dollars to these people.
He calls an assistant and hand over to him Five Dollars to gives this money to the men who had rented the room.
The assistant does not know how to divide Five Dollars between three people, and decides to keep Two Dollars for himself.
He gives One Dollar to each man.
Therefore, each man paid only Nine Dollars for the room.

If 3 men paid 9.00 each one to rent a room (9.00 X 3 = 27.00)
and the assistant keeps 2.00
(27.00 + 2.00 = 29.00)

All right I used to be able to do this, but it's late, and I've been drinking (for 20 years) so let's see.....

The trick is to not think of the individuals, but as a single entity who paid $30. They are entitled to $5 back, so we're at $25, but they only get $3, and the bellhop keeps $2, and....crap, I almost had it, but I took another sip of beer and it killed that brain cell.....I'll get it

[Burny Charles]

The trick is to not think of the individuals, but as a single entity who paid $30.

After a few more sips I thought they had paid $32 total. I think this hotel clerk is ripping us off in the long run!

[popcornjack]

The trick is to not think of the individuals, but as a single entity who paid $30.

After a few more sips I thought they had paid $32 total. I think this hotel clerk is ripping us off in the long run!

They're probably charging us euro's.

[TommyBahama]

3x10=30

-5 rebate=25

-2 assistant took=23

+3 given back to the 3 men=26

/3=8.667 each

[drunkpirate66]

this is so old and so stupid.

doi . . . you are not trying to get to 30 . . . you are trying to get to 25 (the cost) . . . so you don't add 2 you subtract 2 . . .

come on.

[karat]

10+10+10=30
rebate 5 = 25


30 - 3 = 27 - 2 = 25

30 minus the 3 returned = 27 minus the 2 kept = 25

right?

[STL PARROTHEAD]

this is so old and so stupid.

doi . . . you are not trying to get to 30 . . . you are trying to get to 25 (the cost) . . . so you don't add 2 you subtract 2 . . .

come on.

not so old for me...... I never heard it!!!
and it had me going for about 5 seconds

[drunkpirate66]

this is so old and so stupid.

doi . . . you are not trying to get to 30 . . . you are trying to get to 25 (the cost) . . . so you don't add 2 you subtract 2 . . .

come on.

not so old for me...... I never heard it!!!
and it had me going for about 5 seconds

never heard that?

I remember my 3rd grade Math teacher putting that on a quiz for extra credit.

[STL PARROTHEAD]

this is so old and so stupid.

doi . . . you are not trying to get to 30 . . . you are trying to get to 25 (the cost) . . . so you don't add 2 you subtract 2 . . .

come on.

not so old for me...... I never heard it!!!
and it had me going for about 5 seconds

never heard that?

I remember my 3rd grade Math teacher putting that on a quiz for extra credit.

I don't think I ever did! unless I forgot..................

[FunkHouse9]

But $27 minus $2 is $25, which is what the owner got for the room that night.

Classic misdirection

Exactly!!

I made my high school Trigonometry teacher literally get angry because he couldn't figure this one out after an hour. He finally said that it was mathematically impossible for the guy to be able to keep the $2.

[Thewino]

It's easier to look at as two equations:

3(x) = $30 - $5 (rebate)
3x=25
x=$8.33

Each person paid $8.33 to the owner

Also, the clerk got two dollars:

3(x) = $2
x=$.67

Each person paid the clerk 67 cents

Therefore, each person is out nine dollars total.

[drunkpirate66]

But $27 minus $2 is $25, which is what the owner got for the room that night.

Classic misdirection

Exactly!!

I made my high school Trigonometry teacher literally get angry because he couldn't figure this one out after an hour. He finally said that it was mathematically impossible for the guy to be able to keep the $2.

your high school trig teacher should've been fired.

[FunkHouse9]

But $27 minus $2 is $25, which is what the owner got for the room that night.

Classic misdirection

Exactly!!

I made my high school Trigonometry teacher literally get angry because he couldn't figure this one out after an hour. He finally said that it was mathematically impossible for the guy to be able to keep the $2.

your high school trig teacher should've been fired.

It was very funny. He was absolutely stumped. I gave him the question during lunch one day and then I went to get food. When I came back, he was talking it out and seemed like he was starting to think in the right direction so I had to reinforce the misdirection some more and it really threw him off again.

[Glorfindel7]

Yep,
and of course I got fooled by the +2 when it should have been -2 as well
(but I'll blame THAT on the fact that I just got home and I went out for a couple of drinks after work as well )

[Bob Roberts]

I just looked at this for the first time tonight. I'm amazed that it's confused some people. $27+$2 is incorrect. The $27 total already includes the $2 the guy kept for himself. You can't add the $2 twice.

Each guy paid 10 but got 1 back.

3 X 9 is 27, but only $25 was put in the register and the guy kept the other $2 for himself.

The real equation should be............

$25 deposited + $3 the guys got back + $2 the cashier kept = $30.

It's as simple as that.

[flipflopgirl]

math sux!!!!