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Fun language puzzle

  • Thread starter Capslock
  • Start date
Three people check into a motel. They pay $30 to the desk clerk and go to their room. The desk clerk finds out that the room rate is $25 and gives $5 to the bellhop to return. On the way to the room the bellhop reasons that $5 would be difficult to share among three people so he pockets $2 and gives $1 to each person.

Now each person paid $10 and got back $1. So they paid $9 each, totalling $27. The bellhop has $2, totalling $29.

Where is the remaining dollar?

Capslock
 
I would like to see the answer to this........

my logic, it is lost.
 
I know this one so I'll see if somebody else can get it.
 
Woooh this is a trippy puzzle lol but I think I figured it out.

They really didn't pay 9 dollars each. They actually paid around $8.14 each.
This is because the bellhop took $2 from the 30 they paid, so their total was $28. You divide that by 3 and you get how much each of them paid.

Am I right or am I really off? lol I get Ds in math all the time, so who knows..
 
You're on the right track but your math is off.
 
No, they each paid 9 bucks. They started with 10 bucks each for the $30 total. Then the bellhop gave them back $1 each.

Keep trying!

Capslock
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look, its summer vacation. No school. I shouldnt have to think this hard.
 
So they paid 30 and got back 3 which equals 27 so each paid 9 dollars?

Ohhh my brain hurts hahaha I agree with Plantslikebugs its summer I shouldn't be doing math hehe
 
Is that American money or Canadien?
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j/k..........Simple correction in math to Divaskid.  The bellhop took $2 from the $30 totaling $28, so each person paid $9.33.  There's the missing money
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But.........who paid the extra penny?  
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  • #10
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Once I hear one of these things, I HAVE to figure it out or it drives me nuts. I'll post the answer in a while if nobody gets it. Ozzy sounds like he knows, too.

Capslock
 
  • #11
The $27 *includes* the $2 the bellhop kept, you dont add in his $2 to make $29..
there is never really $29 in the equation.

In the end, the 3 men each paid $8 and 33.33333 cents each, to the hotel only!..they paid $10 at first, but then got $1 back..but that does NOT mean they paid a total of $27!
because the 3 mean ALSO "gave" $2 to the bellboy..
so each ALSO  gave 66.6666666666666 cents to the bellboy.
so lets see..each man gave 66.6666666666666 cents to the bellboy.
they were nice and just rounded it up to $2 even.
they each got $1 back from the hotel..
so really they only got a 33.33333333 cent refund each..not $1 each.
so..
each man paid 8.3333333333333333333 dollars, total, to the hotel.
and each man tipped .6666666666666666666 dollars to the bellboy.
and each man got $1 back.
thats a total of 29.9999999999999999999999999999 dollars.

so the REAL question is, what happened to the 0.000000000000001 of a penny?!
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in reality is very simple..
the men paid $30 originally.
the hotel took the $30, but then kept $25 and gave $5 back..
out of the $5 refund the men got 3 and the bellboy 2..
total of 30 dollars still there.
the question doesent work because it isnt asked correctly..
we are confused by tricky math..its magic trick!
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Scot
 
  • #12
Yeah, that's pretty much it (the middle part notwithstanding). I thought it was a clever puzzle, the solution to which is to expose the question.

Capslock
 
  • #13
hmmm..I didnt quite have it either!
I said the men did not literally pay $9 each..
thats wrong, they really did pay $9 each.
I just took 30 pennies, made 3 lines of 10 pennies each to represent the 10 dollars each man came with, laid them oput on the floor!
each penny is a dollar..it worked! I got it..
(even though I *knew* logically how all the money flowed..it was still throwing me that there was $27 total spent! $9 each!)
but laying out..it became clear..try it!
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ok, here is the major hint..
each man REALLY DID only pay $9!!
the 3 men really did pay $27 total..
each man came with $10, and walked out with $1..
so each man paid 9..
the real question is, where did that $27 go?
 
  • #14
Oh, I thought you were kidding on that whole part! LOL!

Yeah, they paid $27, or $9 each. $2 of that went to the bellhop and $25 went to the hotel. 2+25 = 27.

There is no relationship between the amount they paid and the amount the bellhop has. That relationship is implied by the question but does not exist, so the sum of those numbers SHOULDN'T equal the original outlay of $30.

Capslock
 
  • #15
A man walks up to you and says "everything I say to you is a lie."
Is he telling you the truth or is he lying?
 
  • #17
This is one of those things like (counting backwards on my fingers) 10-9-8-7-6 Plus 5 on the other hand...equals 11 fingers!
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