The missing dollar

4 shiney stars

Three men went to a motel. The motel manager said a room cost $30, so each man put up $10 and went to their room. A little while later the manager realized the room was only $25, so he sent the bellhop back to the three guys' room with $5. On the way to the room the bellhop couldn't figure out how to split the $5 between the 3 men, so he gave each one of them $1 and he kept the other $2.

This meant that the 3 men paid $9 each for the room for a total of $27. Add the $2 that the bellhop kept = $29.

Where did the other dollar go?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The answer is in the way the question is worded. You cannot add what one person HAS to what someone else has PAID and come up with any kind of a meaningful number, you have to subtract.

Each man has paid $9.
The bellhop has $2.
Difference

$9 x 3 = $27
   2
$25

The hotel clerk has the other 25 dollars.

To look at it from the standpoint of the original $30.

Each man has $1.
The bellhop has $2.
The hotel clerk has $25.
Total

$1 x 3 = $3
2
 25
$30

 




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