riddle 2

ChrisMcLaughlin

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Jan 22, 2004
Messages
387
Three men are traveling together. They need a room for the night. The man at the counter in the hotel says the room is $30.00 for the night. each of the three men gives the counterman $10.00. They go to their room for the night. The counterman discovers that he has charged the men $30.00 for a $25.00 room. The counterman gives the bellman 5 one dollar bills and tells him to return the money to the men in the room. On the way to the room, the bellman realizes he can not divide five dollars three ways. So the bellman puts two dollars in his pocket and gives each of the men one dollar each. Problem solved. But...... If each of the men got one dollar back they only paid nine dollars each for their part of the room. Three times nine equals 27. The bellman got two......?????? Where is the other dollar. I have no answer for this riddle. I have asked many people. WHAT!!!!
 

mattttt25

Commander
Joined
Sep 29, 2002
Messages
2,661
Re: riddle 2

order of operations. an easier way to understand is you can't compare 'what was paid' with 'what was given back'.<br /><br />in the end, each man payed 9. 9x3=27. 25 for the hotel and 2 for the bellman.
 

jtexas

Fleet Admiral
Joined
Oct 13, 2003
Messages
8,646
Re: riddle 2

I knew my education would pay off one day!<br /><br />The men paid a total of $27 (3 x $9). <br /><br />The hotel got $25 and the bellman got $2 for a total of $27, same as the amount paid.<br /><br />There is no "other dollar."<br /><br /> :p <br /><br />jtexas, CPA
 

gaugeguy

Captain
Joined
Jun 4, 2003
Messages
3,564
Re: riddle 2

The other dollar went to the 10-10-220 call for the "live entertainment". Gotta love expense accounts :D
 

JB

Honorary Moderator Emeritus
Joined
Mar 25, 2001
Messages
45,907
Re: riddle 2

The secret to this old (I heard it in high school!) riddle is that it is always presented in a way that counts the $2 the bellman kept twice (part of the $27 paid, then again as the $2 the bellman kept) and doesn't count the $3 that the men got back.
 
Joined
Feb 1, 2004
Messages
58
Re: riddle 2

makes sense to me, each man pays 9 bucks, 27, and the little crook keeps 2 for himself? this is a riddle???
 
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