Three poor farmers visit the big city for the first time. In the town, they visit a cheap hotel. The hotel owner is farmer-friendly: he has a room for 3 persons which costs only 30 dollars.

So, the farmers agree to pay $10 each. They pay and go to their room.

But then, the hotel owner realises that he has forgotten his super discount. The farmers only had to pay $25. So, he calls the bell-boy and tells him to give the farmers their $5 back.

But the bell-boy thinks: "You can't split 5 by 3 well. If I give them their $5, they'll probably have a fight." So he keeps $2 for himself and gives the other $3 to the farmers.

Now, the farmers each paid $9, that's $27 in total, and the bell boy kept $2. But together, that's $29!

What happened to the missing dollar?

If the room cost $25 and thy paid 30, there is 5 dollars exta, as stated. But rather than taking the 3 dollars given back away from the 30 paid, it should be added to the 25 paid, to get 28. Then add in the 2 kept and you have 30.

Consider: If the room cost $25, each would owe $8.33 (and a third). The Hotel Owner, after giving back the $5, received $8.33 (and a third) from each man, When they were each given back a dollar, the total money accounted for is $8.33 (and a third) + $1 per person. That makes $9.33 (and a third). Multiply that by 3 people, and you get $28 accounted for. And then, there is the $2 the bell hop kept. It certainly seems that all $30 is accounted for.

Posted by Lokela on 2002-05-07 02:45:43