Author |
Topic: Missing a Dollar? Need Help! (Read 1139 times) |
|
Pansita77
Newbie
Posts: 2
|
 |
Missing a Dollar? Need Help!
« on: Apr 20th, 2004, 3:58pm » |
 Quote  Modify
|
Probably a simple riddle to all - little ol' me having some issues.
Ok: Three guys pitch in $10 each for a $30 room for one night. Later on that evening the very kind manager realizes these men have payed regular price for a discounted room - on sale for $25 a night. He orders an employee to return the credit of $5 to the gentelmen - instead of returning the whole amount, the employee decides to keep 2 bucks for himself and gives  the remaining $3 to the men. The men divide the 3 between themselves - a buck each meaning that they have actually payed $9 each for the room. So if each man actually payed 9 bucks each - the total payed between the 3 is $27 plus the $2 the employee took equals $29...where the hell is that last dollar damit!!!!
|
|
 IP Logged |
|
|
|
Icarus
wu::riddles Moderator
Uberpuzzler
Boldly going where even angels fear to tread.
Gender: 
Posts: 4863
|
|
Re: Missing a Dollar? Need Help!
« Reply #1 on: Apr 20th, 2004, 4:44pm » |
Quote Modify
|
This one has been posted several times in the forums, and is one William put on his main list (hard section). This is a very well known puzzle. I have seen it numerous times in many different places.
The answer is, there is no last dollar. The 2 dollars the bellhop keeps are part of the $27 dollars paid by the three men, and should not be added to it. The division of the original $30 dollars is:
$3 to the three men, leaving $27 (= the 3 x $9 they ultimately paid).
$2 from the $27 for the bellhop, leaving $25.
$25 to the hotel.
|
|
IP Logged |
"Pi goes on and on and on ...
And e is just as cursed.
I wonder: Which is larger
When their digits are reversed? " - Anonymous
|
|
|
Benoit_Mandelbrot
Junior Member
Almost doesn't count.
Gender:
Posts: 133
|
|
Re: Missing a Dollar? Need Help!
« Reply #2 on: Apr 21st, 2004, 10:23am » |
Quote Modify
|
Interesting. This is in the easy forum, but in the hard puzzles. It's actually kind of easy to solve if you know something about math.
|
|
IP Logged |
Because of modulo, different bases, and significant digits, all numbers equal each other!
|
|
|
Icarus
wu::riddles Moderator
Uberpuzzler
Boldly going where even angels fear to tread.
Gender:
Posts: 4863
|
|
Re: Missing a Dollar? Need Help!
« Reply #3 on: Apr 21st, 2004, 6:43pm » |
Quote Modify
|
William has long since decided he placed that one in the wrong section. Actually, I moved this particular thread here from the General problem solving forum, since that one is not really for riddles.
It doesn't really need even much math knowledge. It just needs a little application of common sense to a calculation that has a tendency to blindside people. There is something about this calculation where-in the error falls into an area that we tend to not check, while it treats the areas we do check accurately. It takes a bit of training to break out of that mental rut and look at the whole thing. That is what this riddle is good for, and why it is still around despite being very old.
|
|
IP Logged |
"Pi goes on and on and on ...
And e is just as cursed.
I wonder: Which is larger
When their digits are reversed? " - Anonymous
|
|
|
|
RIDDLES SITE
WRITE MATH!
Home 
Help 
Search 
Members 
Login 
Register
Reply
Notify of replies
Send Topic
Print