riddle

[miss.myra]

5 of us at work are stuck on this, it seems obvious but it isn't (sorry, it's all in caps so it'll look funny.)



>>3 MEN GO INTO A MOTEL. THE MAN BEHIND THE DESK SAID THE ROOM IS
>>$30, SO
>>
>>EACH MAN PAID $10 AND WENT TO THE ROOM.
>>
>>A WHILE LATER THE MAN BEHIND THE DESK REALIZED THE ROOM WAS ONLY
>>$25, SO
>>
>>
>>HE SENT THE BELLBOY TO THE 3 GUYS' ROOM WITH $5.
>>
>>ON THE WAY THE BELLBOY COULDN'T FIGURE OUT HOW TO SPLIT $5 EVENLY
>>
>>BETWEEN 3 MEN, SO HE GAVE EACH MAN A $1 AND KEPT THE OTHER $2 FOR
>>
>>HIMSELF.
>>
>>THIS MEANT THAT THE 3 MEN EACH PAID $9 FOR THE ROOM, WHICH IS A
>>TOTAL OF
>>
>>
>>$27, ADD THE $2 THAT THE BELLBOY KEPT = $29.
>>
>>WHERE IS THE OTHER DOLLAR?
>>

[The Chucksta]

Bellboy may have dropped it on the way to the room

[prozac]

aw fuck myra.

we can't figure it out @ my work either.

i even took out a piece of paper and drew a bunch of diagrams...

[miss.myra]

^ haha i've got one at my desk too..

the way i figured it initally was

30 (10+10+10)

5(1+1+1) (2 bellboy) would mean no missing dollar right

seemed obvious at first but durrrr

[prozac]

$30 - $3(given back) = 27

$27 - $2(bellboy) = $25

it works that way.

there must be something tricky in the wording to make it seem like $1 is missing.

[Disco_Whore]

It seems like it wouldn't work...but it must!
All I can think of is that the room cost $25, plus each man's 3 dollars makes $28, and the bell boy's $2 makes $30. No idea how to solve it though.

[frogprincess]

try using intergers!

[prozac]

It's a trick Myra. The dollar is not missing. The writer of the riddle just sucked at math.

[frogprincess]

-10 + 1 = -9

-9 x 3 = -27 + 2 = -25

[prozac]

well done, fp

[dabbler]

the $1 isn't missing

[Disco_Whore]

No! Order of operations people!!!
That's it, because you're not doing things in the same order so:

3x10-5+3+2=30 BECAUSE you multiply 3 by 10 and then do the adding and subtracting it comes out to thirty, but if you do something wonky like 10-5 first, then multiply, then add you'll get 20.

So the second time instead of that first equation it's going 3x(10-1)+2=29. Not actually the same thing.

edit:outposted

[hardstylin]

*yawn*

so easy

[project.one]

Ok, sorry if this makes no sence! But

30 - 5 = 25
5 - 2 = 3
25 + 3 = 28
28 + 2 = 30

I think its all right, the question is just a trick in the words.
When he gives a dollar back and they add the 9 that would have susposedly been paid by each man they add a un-needed factor to the question. Then they use that factor to confuss you.

Is this really a riddle? Or just bad math?

But I suck at math, so maybe Im wrong.

[miss.myra]

ahh calculations done at wrong time. riddle writing jerks.

$25/3= 8.33
Each given back $1
=$9.33 x 3 = $28

$2 to bellboy.

[Carrie]

in the riddle, it should be written 28$ because the room was 25 dollars, and three men got a dollar back which is 25 + 3 = 28, not 27, plus two that the bellboy kept, so 28 + 2 = 30

[mapleleaf4ever]

Wow... too much thinking for me at 2am.

[mapleleaf4ever]

OOH! Now that that one is solved. I have one... I answered this one quick but the guy was cocky and bet Beer and Wings on it. So free Beer and Wings for me tomorrow. Now you try!

The longer I live, the shorter I grow...
But you can get rid of me with a single blow!
What am I?

[prozac]

a candle?

[mapleleaf4ever]

Yup!

Good job. lol I was the only one that got it in the group of six of us.

*shrugs*

[prozac]

i had to think for a minute...but there it was. damn i feel smart now. :)

[Carrie]

30 - 3 is 27 then MINUS the 2 the bellboy kept it's 25

[Sniper]

Originally Posted by kprojekt

No, the 27 is there to throw people off. Because the bellboy gives 3 away and keeps two. So people assume 30-3 is 27... Where is the extra coin?

It's a riddle :)

Acttually though it is in there to throw people off the 27 is reasonable.....if all 3 guys paid $10 and got $1 back each (10-1=9) each guy paid $9...how they got the 27 is 9x3=27 plus the 2 the bell boy kept (27+2=29)....all the calculations they did were right but they did them in a way that would get a different number

[Xophe]

I'm sorry.......... but i looked at it and realized the trick right away....you just gotta remember

The gravitational constant is = 6.67300 × 10-11 m3 kg-1 s-2

Think about it.

[ebbomega]

So, basically, you're supposed to subtract 2 bucks from the 27 to get the price that was paid to the hotel as opposed to adding it to it.