Three people check into a hotel room. The
bill is $30 so they each pay $10. After they go to the room, the hotel's
cashier realizes that the bill should have only been $25. So he gives $5 to the
bellhop and tells him to return the money to the guests. The bellhop notices
that $5 can't be split evenly between the three guests, so he keeps $2 for
himself and then gives the other $3 to the guests.
Now the guests, with their dollars back, have each paid $9 for a total of $27. And the bellhop has pocketed $2. So there is $27 + $2 = $29 accounted for. But the guests originally paid $30. What happened to the other dollar?
Hints:
Is
$27 + $2 really the correct math?
Solution:
*
*
*
This riddle is just an example of
misdirection. It is actually nonsensical to add $27 + $2, because the $27 that
has been paid includes the $2 the bellhop made.
The correct math is to say that the guests
paid $27, and the bellhop took $2, which, if given back to the guests, would
bring them to their correct payment of $27 - $2 (tip) = $25 (bill).
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