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Where
did the dollar go?
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Three Men and a Hotel
Three men decided to split the cost of a hotel room. The hotel
manager gave them a price of $30. The men split the bill evenly,
each paying $10, and retired to their room.
However, the manager realized that it was a Wednesday night,
which meant the hotel had a special: rooms were only $25. He had
overcharged them $5!
He promptly called the bellboy, gave him five one-dollar
bills and told him to return it to the men. When the bellboy
explained the situation to the men, they were so pleased at the
honesty of the establishment that they promptly tipped the
bellboy $2 of the $5 he had returned and each kept $1 for
himself.
The Problem: Each of the three men ended up paying $9
(their original $10, minus $1 back) totaling $27, plus $2 for
the bellboy makes $29. Where did the extra dollar go?
Think about it for a while, and when your reality begins to
shudder at the edges, read the
solution. I recommend you give some time to trying to figure
this one out on your own, though, since then it will be easier
for you to gloat when you stump your friends with this one.
Three Men and a Hotel: Solution
The faulty reasoning lies in the addition at the end. 3 x $9
does equal $27, but the $2 tip is included in that $27, so it
makes no sense to add the $2 to $27 to make $29. They paid $25
for the hotel room, $2 for the tip ($27), and then got $1 back
each to make the original $30.
RETURN TO MIND GAMES
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