[kuchka]

Three men get charged 30 dollars for a hotel room. Ten dollars apiece. The clerk realizes that the room is only 25 dollars and gives each man a dollar back. Where did the other two dollars go?

[rachel37]

Did the other two dollars go on a tip?????

[Curlyben]

In the clerks pocket

It's the wording. Don't pay attention to the $27 figure. Concentrate on this.

$30 paid.

$25 Acutal cost of room due to discount

$5 owed

$1 dollar to each

$2 for the clerk.

The mythical figure of $27 ASSUMES that the cost of the room was actually $27 due to the refund of $1 per man (it should have been 25 due to the multiple occupant discount, The number 27 was never mentioned by "motel personel"). Look only at the original price and the actual discount price of $30 and $25 respectively. If you do that, the math should make sense

30 dollars paid

25 dollars actual cost of room

5 Dollars total refund

3 dollars total to the salesmen

2 dollars to the clerk

Hence an algebraic formula ((30-5)+3)+2)=30

(25+3)+2=30

28+2=30

Or:

x=$30, total paid by salesmen

y=$25 cost of room with multiple occupancy discount

z=$5 Total amount of refund due salesmen

a=$2 Amount kept by clerk

b=$3 Actual amount refunded to salesmen

Which gives you (((x-z)+b)+a)=x

Now isn't that much simpler?