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JENNR8R

Math Puzzle

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I was digging around in an old drawer and found this math puzzle that I had saved from probably 40 years ago. I still can't figure it out, can you?

***Three men wanted one room. The clerk said it was $10 each. The men each paid $10 and went to their room. $10 x 3 = $30

The clerk decided that $10 each was too much so he gave the bellboy $5 to give back to the men. The bellboy decided that since they couldn't divide $5 three ways evenly, he kept $2 and gave the men $3.

Therefore, each man paid $9. The room cost them $27. The bellboy has $2.

$27 + $2 = $29

Where did the $1 go?
What do you call a beautiful, sunny day that comes after two cloudy, rainy
ones? -- Monday.

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I was digging around in an old drawer and found this math puzzle that I had saved from probably 40 years ago. I still can't figure it out, can you?

***Three men wanted one room. The clerk said it was $10 each. The men each paid $10 and went to their room. $10 x 3 = $30

The clerk decided that $10 each was too much so he gave the bellboy $5 to give back to the men. The bellboy decided that since they couldn't divide $5 three ways evenly, he kept $2 and gave the men $3.

Therefore, each man paid $9. The room cost them $27. The bellboy has $2.

$27 + $2 = $29

Where did the $1 go?



They didn't each pay $27.. They each paid $9.33.

30 - 5 = 25.
Divide by 3 evenly = $8.33333
Add $1 = $9.333333
The Bellboy gets $2

Problem solved.
"There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse."
- Chris Hadfield
« Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. »
- my boss

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Therefore, each man paid $9. The room cost them $27. The bellboy has $2.



Wrong.

The men paid $9 each, for a total of $27. The room cost $25 and the bellboy has a $2 tip.
Do you want to have an ideagasm?

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They didn't each pay $27.. They each paid $9.33.

30 - 5 = 25.
Divide by 3 evenly = $8.33333
Add $1 = $9.333333
The Bellboy gets $2

Problem solved.



That doesn't make sense to me either. There was no change involved.
What do you call a beautiful, sunny day that comes after two cloudy, rainy
ones? -- Monday.

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The room cost $25, but the men paid $27. The bellboy has $2. Where is the $1?

Math was never my best subject... :D



There is no $1.

The room cost $25, the men paid $27, the bellboy has taken the difference, which is $2. What part of that are you having trouble with?:S
Do you want to have an ideagasm?

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The room cost $25, but the men paid $27. The bellboy has $2. Where is the $1?

Math was never my best subject... :D



There is no $1.

The room cost $25, the men paid $27, the bellboy has taken the difference, which is $2. What part of that are you having trouble with?:S


In my thinking the cost of the room is irrelevant. The men initially gave the clerk $30. They paid $27 for the room. The bellboy has $2. There is a missing $1.
What do you call a beautiful, sunny day that comes after two cloudy, rainy
ones? -- Monday.

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Follow the money .... not the 'skewed logic':P

3 x 10 = 30
30 - 5 = 35
5 - 3 = 2 (the bell boys tip)

There is no 27 dorra



Nope... can't follow that at all... :D
What do you call a beautiful, sunny day that comes after two cloudy, rainy
ones? -- Monday.

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I was digging around in an old drawer and found this math puzzle that I had saved from probably 40 years ago. I still can't figure it out, can you?

***Three men wanted one room. The clerk said it was $10 each. The men each paid $10 and went to their room. $10 x 3 = $30

The clerk decided that $10 each was too much so he gave the bellboy $5 to give back to the men. The bellboy decided that since they couldn't divide $5 three ways evenly, he kept $2 and gave the men $3.

Therefore, each man paid $9. The room cost them $27. The bellboy has $2.

$27 + $2 = $29

Where did the $1 go?



the problem is that there is no reason to add 27 and 2. forget about that because it isn't relevant. there are $30 that we have to account for and we can easily do so. $25 are sitting in the till, $2 and in the bellboy's pocket, and $3 have been returned to the customer. 25+2+3=30. no missing dollar.


"Your scrotum is quite nice" - Skymama
www.kjandmegan.com

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In my thinking the cost of the room is irrelevant. The men initially gave the clerk $30. They paid $27 for the room. The bellboy has $2. There is a missing $1.



No, there is not. Your thinking is wrong. The question is lying to you.

The men part company with $30. The hotel ends up with $25. The bellboy ends up with $2. The men end up with $3.

25+2+3 = 30.

What part of that are you having trouble with?:S It's really, really simple.
Do you want to have an ideagasm?

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Another way of saying this is each man paid $9 which includes the tip for the bellboy. Thus:
$30 - $3=$27.
"Here's a good specimen of my own wisdom. Something is so, except when it isn't so."

Charles Fort, commenting on the many contradictions of astronomy

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I was digging around in an old drawer and found this math puzzle that I had saved from probably 40 years ago. I still can't figure it out, can you?

***Three men wanted one room. The clerk said it was $10 each. The men each paid $10 and went to their room. $10 x 3 = $30

The clerk decided that $10 each was too much so he gave the bellboy $5 to give back to the men. The bellboy decided that since they couldn't divide $5 three ways evenly, he kept $2 and gave the men $3.

Therefore, each man paid $9. The room cost them $27. The bellboy has $2.

$27 + $2 = $29

Where did the $1 go?



the problem is that there is no reason to add 27 and 2. forget about that because it isn't relevant. there are $30 that we have to account for and we can easily do so. $25 are sitting in the till, $2 and in the bellboy's pocket, and $3 have been returned to the customer. 25+2+3=30. no missing dollar.


THANK YOU!!! That makes sense! I think... :D:D:D ...a 40-year problem solved! :)
What do you call a beautiful, sunny day that comes after two cloudy, rainy
ones? -- Monday.

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Follow the money .... not the 'skewed logic':P

3 x 10 = 30
30 - 5 = 35
5 - 3 = 2 (the bell boys tip)

There is no 27 dorra




Ah ha ha!! Hope your second calculation was a typo :P

It's just that the people *think* they each paid $9 because they only got $1 back.. But what they don't realise is that they didn't get the full refund and that the rooms didn't cost $27, but in fact $25.

Put simply,

25 + 3 = $28
28 + 2 = $30
"There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse."
- Chris Hadfield
« Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. »
- my boss

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the problem is that there is no reason to add 27 and 2. forget about that because it isn't relevant. there are $30 that we have to account for and we can easily do so. $25 are sitting in the till, $2 and in the bellboy's pocket, and $3 have been returned to the customer. 25+2+3=30. no missing dollar.



That should do it, hopefully...

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What part of that are you having trouble with? :S It's really, really simple.



On the contrary... It is not at all simple for someone who is bad at math. This is an excellent example of different learning styles. :)
What do you call a beautiful, sunny day that comes after two cloudy, rainy
ones? -- Monday.

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i was on a job once where a guy insisted that it was a math anomily and that mathematics was full of them. because of this he discounted all of science. i spent a couple of hours trying to explain this to him. i even made 30 fake dollar bills and got some co workers to play the part of the customers, bellboy, and clerk. when it was all done he could physically see where all of the dollars were. he still wasn't wouldn't believe me.


"Your scrotum is quite nice" - Skymama
www.kjandmegan.com

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i was on a job once where a guy insisted that it was a math anomily and that mathematics was full of them. because of this he discounted all of science. i spent a couple of hours trying to explain this to him. i even made 30 fake dollar bills and got some co workers to play the part of the customers, bellboy, and clerk. when it was all done he could physically see where all of the dollars were. he still wasn't wouldn't believe me.



:D:D:D Whew! I'm glad I'm not as bad as that fellow! :D:D:D Undoubtedly, he has other strengths that come naturally to him that you may have a problem with. We all have strengths and weaknesses.

Your explanation was the easiest to follow. Thank you again! :)
What do you call a beautiful, sunny day that comes after two cloudy, rainy
ones? -- Monday.

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Follow the money .... not the 'skewed logic':P

3 x 10 = 30
30 - 5 = 25 (typo)
5 - 3 = 2 (the bell boys tip)

There is no 27 dorra



Nope... can't follow that at all... :D


It's easy if you ignore the typo:P

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

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the problem is that there is no reason to add 27 and 2. forget about that because it isn't relevant. there are $30 that we have to account for and we can easily do so. $25 are sitting in the till, $2 and in the bellboy's pocket, and $3 have been returned to the customer. 25+2+3=30. no missing dollar.



That should do it, hopefully...


Have to agree, actually.. Although it makes perfect sense to me, I think the above is the best explanation :)
Can't believe Trophy-Dude actually reenacted that for a work colleague!!! :ph34r::ph34r::ph34r:
"There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse."
- Chris Hadfield
« Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. »
- my boss

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What part of that are you having trouble with? :S It's really, really simple.



On the contrary... It is not at all simple for someone who is bad at math. This is an excellent example of different learning styles. :)

It's not even a question of maths, it's a question of fundamental logic vs gullibility.

Think about the question. Why should the combined cost of the hotel room and the tip have to reach $30 when you've already given part of that $30 away? You don't even need to use arithmetic to figure out that the question doesn't make sense - it's nonsensical at first glance.
Do you want to have an ideagasm?

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Yeap - I just saw the Typo:( But I still can;t see why the OP has a problem - seems obvious to me (and Jakee too)



If we were all the same, we wouldn't need you would we? ;)
What do you call a beautiful, sunny day that comes after two cloudy, rainy
ones? -- Monday.

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