stupid math riddle...

[Fedorfan]

Ok i've heard this riddle of sorts too many times now:

It goes something like this 3 people check into hotel rooms and pay $10 a piece, so they give the clerk $30 dollars total, the clerk gives the money to the manager who says to give the guests $5 back for whatever reason, so to make it easy the clerk pockets 2 dollars, and gives each of the 3 guests $1 back, meaning they now paid a total of $27 amongst the 3 of them and the clerk pocketed $2. So each paid $9 x 3 =27, the clerk pocketed $2, 27+2 is $29 where did the other dollar go?

[Borodog]

There is no other dollar. $25 for the room + $2 in the clerk's pocket = $27 paid by the 3 guests.

[Fedorfan]

but they originally paid $30, the clerk was given $5 to give back to them, he pocketed $2 and gave each of the 3 guests $1 dollar back, meaning they each paid $9, 9x3 is 27, plus the $2 the clerk pocketed does not make $30, so from the original $30 what happened to the last dollar?

[Borodog]

You're kidding, right?

Who cares what they originally paid? They paid $27. There's $25 in the till and $2 in the clerk's pocket. That's $27. Case closed, Columbo.

[Homer]

[ QUOTE ]
but they originally paid $30, the clerk was given $5 to give back to them, he pocketed $2 and gave each of the 3 guests $1 dollar back, meaning they each paid $9, 9x3 is 27, plus the $2 the clerk pocketed does not make $30, so from the original $30 what happened to the last dollar?

[/ QUOTE ]

The $2 the clerk pocketed is part of the $27 they paid, so you're double counting it when you do 27+2.

The hotel has $25, the clerk has $2 and the 3 people each have $1.

[Fedorfan]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
but they originally paid $30, the clerk was given $5 to give back to them, he pocketed $2 and gave each of the 3 guests $1 dollar back, meaning they each paid $9, 9x3 is 27, plus the $2 the clerk pocketed does not make $30, so from the original $30 what happened to the last dollar?

[/ QUOTE ]

The $2 the clerk pocketed is part of the $27 they paid, so you're double counting it when you do 27+2.

The hotel has $25, the clerk has $2 and the 3 people each have $1.

[/ QUOTE ]

the $2 that was pocketed was part of the original $30 that was paid right?

But how come it doesn't work when you go back from the original $30 that was initially paid, clerk receiving $5 of the 30 to return, he pockets $2 of the $5, and gives each of the 3 guests $1. So each of the 3 guests now paid $9 for a total of $27 of the original $30, the clerk has $2 of the original $30... i know it works from the hotel having $25 but shouldn't it work this way as well?

[Chips Ahoy]

[ QUOTE ]

the $2 that was pocketed was part of the original $30 that was paid right?

But how come it doesn't work when you go back from the original $30 that was initially paid, clerk receiving $5 of the 30 to return, he pockets $2 of the $5, and gives each of the 3 guests $1. So each of the 3 guests now paid $9 for a total of $27 of the original $30, the clerk has $2 of the original $30... i know it works from the hotel having $25 but shouldn't it work this way as well?

[/ QUOTE ]

Why do you want to add the clerk's $2 to the guest's $27? Pretend the clerk is a tax collector and you'll see you should subtract the $2 the clerk has to balance what the guests paid ($27) with what the hotel collected ($25).

[Prodigy54321]

three people have $1 each...clerk has $2..hotel has $25

the people did indeed only pay $27...$25 to the hotel...and $2 to the clerk.

I saw a response to this a while back where a person used this example...

the next night..there are 2 guests..they are charged $30..so $15 each...the hotel send the clerk back with $5 once again...the clerk pockets $3 and gives each of the guests $1...

so each gues has payed $14..that's $28...plus the $3 the clerk pocketed...for a total of $31

that's where the extra dollar went /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[PairTheBoard]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
but they originally paid $30, the clerk was given $5 to give back to them, he pocketed $2 and gave each of the 3 guests $1 dollar back, meaning they each paid $9, 9x3 is 27, plus the $2 the clerk pocketed does not make $30, so from the original $30 what happened to the last dollar?

[/ QUOTE ]

The $2 the clerk pocketed is part of the $27 they paid, so you're double counting it when you do 27+2.

The hotel has $25, the clerk has $2 and the 3 people each have $1.

[/ QUOTE ]

the $2 that was pocketed was part of the original $30 that was paid right?

But how come it doesn't work when you go back from the original $30 that was initially paid, clerk receiving $5 of the 30 to return, he pockets $2 of the $5, and gives each of the 3 guests $1. So each of the 3 guests now paid $9 for a total of $27 of the original $30, the clerk has $2 of the original $30... i know it works from the hotel having $25 but shouldn't it work this way as well?

[/ QUOTE ]

Suppose it was like this. The guests pay $100. The Hotel-Casino realizes they are VIP's and decides to comp them the rooms. It gives $100 to the Clerk to refund to the Guests. But the thieving clerk keeps the entire $100 and screws the Guests. So now the Guests have paid $100 for the room plus the $100 the clerk keeps makes $200. Where did the extra $100 come from?

It's the same reasoning you are using and makes just as little sense.

PairTheBoard

[slickpoppa]

[ QUOTE ]
but they originally paid $30, the clerk was given $5 to give back to them, he pocketed $2 and gave each of the 3 guests $1 dollar back, meaning they each paid $9, 9x3 is 27, plus the $2 the clerk pocketed does not make $30, so from the original $30 what happened to the last dollar?

[/ QUOTE ]

25 went to the hotel, 2 went to the clerk, and 3 went back to the guests. 25+2+3 = 30

[Lestat]

Any chance you're looking to buy some prime desert real estate? Let me know... I've got a REALLY good deal for ya!

[Lestat]

[ QUOTE ]
but they originally paid $30, the clerk was given $5 to give back to them, he pocketed $2 and gave each of the 3 guests $1 dollar back, meaning they each paid $9, 9x3 is 27, plus the $2 the clerk pocketed does not make $30, so from the original $30 what happened to the last dollar?

[/ QUOTE ]

I'll bet that extra dollar is in the same place as my missing finger! I ony see 10, but I know there are really 11. Starting with my left hand... ten, nine, eight, seven, SIX... Oh, and plus the five on my right hand . 6 +5 =11. Where's my missing finger?!

[Fedorfan]

[ QUOTE ]
Any chance you're looking to buy some prime desert real estate? Let me know... I've got a REALLY good deal for ya!

[/ QUOTE ]

ouch!! out classed for sure.

Yea i understand that it makes complete sense the other way. The point is why is doesn't work when you look at it from the original $30 and people say well the guests paid $27 of the original $30 and the clerk pocketed $2 of the original $30, but i see that it's just deceptive in how it makes you think about it but obv it's really just as simple as it seems.

[oe39]

this one doesn't really work when you see it written... i think it confuses some people initially when they hear it

[Double Down]

Here's the answer:
You say that when the guests receive the $3 back, they've now paid $9 each. That means that the 3 guests have paid $27.
This $27 is made up of the $2 that the clerk kept plus the $25 the hotel has.

You were combining the wrong amounts. It's not $27+$2
It's $25+$2 and then the $3 that they have makes the $30.

[MusashiStyle]

"where did the other dollar go?"

the clerk recieves $30 dollars from them and then takes $3 out to give back to them, and then takes $2 for himself. which leaves $25 dollars in the cashier. $25 +$3+$2 = $30

U sir, are a [i censor myself].

[Prodigy54321]

why is everyone hating on the OP?..this is one of the most popular riddles I've ever heard..the answer is simply not obvious to most people.

[MusashiStyle]

[ QUOTE ]
why is everyone hating on the OP?..this is one of the most popular riddles I've ever heard..the answer is simply not obvious to most people.

[/ QUOTE ]

because the riddle is dumb. It just asks an irrelavent question which is setup to confuse u and has no real interesting ideas in it. it's just a word trick, and it sucks.

[Lestat]

You're just being fooled into doing the wrong equation. It's NOT (9 X 3) + 2 = 29. It's 25 + 3 + 2 = 30.

Again, it's very similiar to counting your fingers like 10,9,8,7,6 on one hand and then adding plus 5 from the other to get 11. That's not the way you count.

[Fedorfan]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
why is everyone hating on the OP?..this is one of the most popular riddles I've ever heard..the answer is simply not obvious to most people.

[/ QUOTE ]

because the riddle is dumb. It just asks an irrelavent question which is setup to confuse u and has no real interesting ideas in it. it's just a word trick, and it sucks.

[/ QUOTE ]

umm... read the title of my post

[jay_shark]

The room costs $25 so each person has to pay out 25/3 =8.33. She now pays them an additional $1 so they now have 9.33 .

9.33*3 =28

28+2 =$30 .

Nobody else thought about it this way ?

[PairTheBoard]

[ QUOTE ]
The room costs $25 so each person has to pay out 25/3 =8.33. She now pays them an additional $1 so they now have 9.33 .

9.33*3 =28

28+2 =$30 .

Nobody else thought about it this way ?

[/ QUOTE ]

I almost thought of it that way. But I would have had to change the value of pi to 3 to make it work.

PairTheBoard

[samsonite2100]

[ QUOTE ]
The room costs $25 so each person has to pay out 25/3 =8.33. She now pays them an additional $1 so they now have 9.33 .

9.33*3 =28

28+2 =$30 .

Nobody else thought about it this way ?

[/ QUOTE ]

Strangely, this explanation makes much more sense to me than the other one.

[andyfox]

3 people check into hotel rooms and pay $200 a piece, so they give the clerk $600 dollars total, the clerk gives the money to the manager who says to give the guests $302 back for whatever reason, so to make it easy the clerk pockets 2 dollars, and gives each of the 3 guests $100 back, meaning they now paid a total of $300 amongst the 3 of them and the clerk pocketed $2. So each paid $100 x 3 =300, the clerk pocketed $2, 300+2 is $302 where did the other $298 go?

[PairTheBoard]

[ QUOTE ]
3 people check into hotel rooms and pay $200 a piece, so they give the clerk $600 dollars total, the clerk gives the money to the manager who says to give the guests $302 back for whatever reason, so to make it easy the clerk pockets 2 dollars, and gives each of the 3 guests $100 back, meaning they now paid a total of $300 amongst the 3 of them and the clerk pocketed $2. So each paid $100 x 3 =300, the clerk pocketed $2, 300+2 is $302 where did the other $298 go?

[/ QUOTE ]

I can never remember. Do you put the debits on the left side of the balance sheet and the credits on the right? Or is it the other way around?

PairTheBoard

[tisthefire]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
but they originally paid $30, the clerk was given $5 to give back to them, he pocketed $2 and gave each of the 3 guests $1 dollar back, meaning they each paid $9, 9x3 is 27, plus the $2 the clerk pocketed does not make $30, so from the original $30 what happened to the last dollar?

[/ QUOTE ]

The $2 the clerk pocketed is part of the $27 they paid, so you're double counting it when you do 27+2.

The hotel has $25, the clerk has $2 and the 3 people each have $1.

[/ QUOTE ]

the $2 that was pocketed was part of the original $30 that was paid right?

But how come it doesn't work when you go back from the original $30 that was initially paid, clerk receiving $5 of the 30 to return, he pockets $2 of the $5, and gives each of the 3 guests $1. So each of the 3 guests now paid $9 for a total of $27 of the original $30, the clerk has $2 of the original $30... i know it works from the hotel having $25 but shouldn't it work this way as well?

[/ QUOTE ]is it a bad sign when you quote something and then ask a question explicitly answered in what you quoated?