Tuesday, February 06, 2007
The Dishonest Bellboy
Three people check into a hotel. They pay $30 to the manager and go to their room. The manager suddenly remembers that the room rate is $25 and gives $5 to the bellboy to return to the people. On the way to the room the bellboy 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 bellboy has $2, totalling $29. Where is the missing $1?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
11 comments:
That is a funny riddle/joke. Thanks! Also all of my co-workers liked the Finger Paintings.
I'm sorry, I totally cheated and looked the answer up on the internet. I would not have been able to sleep otherwise.
Would you like me to answer it or keep the suspense going?
The first thing Col said to me when I got home last night was "So where's the missing dollar?"
Let's see if anyone can figure it out without looking it up.
I gave this riddle to my students. They're so confused. I love it.
I had to stop thinking about it because I couldn't figure it out.
I have concluded that there is no missing dollar.
10x3=30, 30-3=27, 9x3=27, 27-2=25...right?
When I was a kid, my dad would tell us this little story and when we wanted an answer he would say "It's an error in mathematics."
This is why I am bad at math.
I agree w/ Colman.
That is correct. You can't add the 2 dollars back into the 27. I think I like the "error in mathematics" answer better, though.
It is the associative principle of algebra. You cannot multiply and add/subtract in the same equation and make it come out the same as if you only multiply or add/subtract. The multiplicable derivatives are irrevidentia.
That is one complicated parabolic algorithm.
Post a Comment