[mandyp183]

3 guys need a hotel to for the night the lady said 30 dollars so they split it 3 ways which.it is10.00 $a piece. Then the lady remembers the room is on special for 25 dollars so she sends the bell hop up with 5 dollars. They each get a dollar and tip the bell hop 2 dollars. Where is the missing dollar...

Because they ended up paying 27 dollars for the room 9 dollars a piece equaling to 27 but then 2 dollar tip for bell hop- were is the 1dollar

[Fr_Chuck]

No missing dollar, no idea where your 27 comes from

30 minus 5 is 25

You don't concern over 30 any longer,

They got back 5, but only took one each back, 25 pus 3 is 28, not 27.

The missing dollar is in the poor math

[dontknownuthin]

yeah - this is kind of goofy:

Original price: $30
Three men each pay $10: 3 x $10: $30
Desk clerk refunds $5
Bell hop keeps $2 of the refund: $5 - $2 = $3
Three men each get $1 back: $3 - $3 = 0

You're even.

There are still some mysteries in this scenario though, which I could not figure out:

- why are 3 men sharing a hotel room?
- where on God's green earth can anyone find a $25 a night hotel with bellhop service?
- why are you letting your relatives talk to you about math? They cleary are not informed on the subject!

[ScottGem]

I've been telling this riddle for for more than 40 years. It is a mathematical anomaly. When calculated one way: since each man initially paid $10, but got back $1 they paid $9 each and 3*9 is 27, plus the 2 for the bellhop makes $29 there does indeed seem to be a missing dollar. I'm not sure why this anomaly exists but it does.

[joypulv]

One way to look at this is to say that 30 doesn't belong; it never existed; it was wrong.
The room cost 25. They paid 10 each. They got back 1 for each man and 2 for the hop. The numbers
10 - 1 = 9
3 x 9 - 2 = 25
are all that exist in this scenario.

[dontknownuthin]

Yeah -

They each paid $9. 9 x 3 = $27

This adds up perfectly: $25 for the room and $2 for the bellhop = $27

The error in your calculation, Scott, is that you're adding $2 to the total of $27 to get $29. The $27 already includes the $2 tip. It does not include the $1 each that were returned to the three men. Add that $1/each for the three men and you get to $30

$25 - cost of room
$2 - tip for bellhop
$3 - $1 each returned to each of the three men

$25 + $2 + $3 = $30 which, divided by 3 = $10 for each of the three men.

[joypulv]

Nobody calculated wrong. It's a trick puzzle.

[ScottGem]

Nobody calculated wrong. It's a trick puzzle.

Exactly, it's a mathematical anomaly. But I like the explanation that the $2 is included in the $27, but not the $3.