Calling all braniacs

M

Miner

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Not sure what forum to put this in but can anyone supply the answer?

3 guys go into a hotel and ask to book a room. The clerk says no problem that will be $30. They each give him $10 and go up to their room. The clerk then realises that he has over charged them and that it should only have been $25. He gives the $5 note to the bell boy and asks him to take it up to them. On the way up the bell boy realises that you cannot divide $5 evenly between 3 people and so he gives them $1 each and keeps the other $2 for himself. So the men ended up paying $9 each for the room.

If 3 x 9 is 27 and the bell boy kept $2 for himself where did the other dollar go??
 
The 3 guys paid $9 each (i.e. $27) for a $25 room. The bell boy got the extra $2. The $30 is of no relevance.
 
Thanks Dearg, but I prefer Eamonn's answer coz it just netted me a tenner!
 
the hotel got 25/3 = 8.33 each +1 refund = 9.33 *3 = 28 + 2the guy kept = 30.
the statement that they paid 9 each is wrong.
 
the statement that they paid 9 each is wrong
Click to expand...

No it's not. - they each handed over $10 and each got back $1 i.e. $9 each. Of that $9, $8.33 went to pay for the room and $0.67 went to the bell boy.
 
bellboy

Dearg is correct. The statement that they paid $9 each cannot be disputed if they started off with $30 and got a dollar each back.

So ignore the $30 and start with $27 that actually got spent.

$8.33 x 3 = $25 to hotel
$0.67 x 3 = $2 to bellboy

$8.33 + $0.67 = the 9 dollars each bloke spent.
 
forum

More concerning is the fact that a question that is obviously Financial is put in the "Misc NON financial questions" category!! :lol
 
Re: Good value room!

Miner,

More importantly where was the room for 3 for $30 - might be worth a mention in Holidays Forum ;) :lol
 
Re: Good value room!

Analysing it algebraically as an equality between men and boy on one side and hotel on the other it is consistent.

Man1 Man2 Man3 BellBoy = Hotel
10 + 10 + 10 + 0 = 30
10 + 10 + 10 + 0 - 5 = 30 - 5 Subtract 5 from both sides
(10-1) + (10-1) + (10-1) - 2 = 25 Distribute refund to men and boy
9 + 9 + 9 + (-2) = 25

The Bell Boy term is negative because he gained $2 whereas the men were still down $9 each.
 
Re: Good value room!

Can't believe this one is still going around! Who offered a tenner for the solution anyway?
 
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