What happened to the dollar?

Question

Three traveling salesmen, in order to save money, agree to share a room at a cheap hotel. The desk clerk tells them the overnight rate for the room is $30, and collects $10 from each salesman.

A short time later, the clerk realizes he made a mistake, that he should only have charged $25 for the particular room he gave the salesmen.

So the clerk gives the bellhop $5 in singles and sends him to the room with instructions to give the $5 to the salesmen.

But the bellhop is dishonest, giving only $3 to the salesmen ($1 to each), and keeping $2 for himself.

Now comes the question: Each salesman made a net payment of $9, or $27 total. The bellhop has $2. What happened to the remaining dollar of the original $30?

Answer 1

The bellhop ripped them off....man! 

Comments

Yep, he did, but for two dollars.

We're looking for the missing dollar.  

I bet Marianne will track it down. 

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Lol - a good one - start with the $ 5 ....

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Lol - .

Answer 2

Hello TheOtherTink,

What a brain teaser! Here is how I went about it...but this still leaves me puzzled, a little bit...

* If the bellhop were honest, he would give $1.66 to each salesman = $5

* Then $10 - $1.66 = $8.33 each salesman paid, and $8.33 x 3 = $25, which is the correct price. And $1.66 x 3 = $5, and $25 + $5 = $30. So as long as we do it that way, everything adds up okay to $30.

* However, the cheated salesmen were paying $9 each, and $9 x 3 = $27, which is $2 over the price, enter the bellhop with his $2 self-tipping, 66¢ x 3 = $2 apx.

* So if you add the bellhop's $2 to the difference between $27 and $30, then $2 + $3 = $5. Then add this $5 to the $25 room rent and you are back at $30 again.

* Do you buy it?

Comments

@ Virginia:

Yes, you are right.  There is no reason that the $2 stolen by the bellhop should be added to the $27 the salesmen had paid. The $2 is money owed TO them, and if they get it back from the bellhop, they will have paid the correct sum of $25.

Another way of looking at it is that in the end, the salesmen have $3, the bellhop has $2, and the hotel clerk has $25, adding up to the original $30, as you said. 

And welcome to Ihavesolved! 

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Thank you for your comment, and the warm welcome too, OtherTink.

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Thank you for your comment, and the warm welcome too, OtherTink.

Read more: http://www.ihavesolved.com/33924/what-happened-to-the-dollar#ixzz4f6AqRPU6

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@Virginia

Excellent!

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Great to see you here Virginia! 

Answer 3

Thank you for your comment, and the warm welcome too, OtherTink.

Answer 4

Lol - sorry, I came too late.

Well - wait a minute - there was no remaining or lost dollar, as the salesmen paid first $ 30 ($ 10 each), and the clerk gave $ 5 back (and from these $ 5, the bellhop kept $ 2).

If they received $ 1 each, they paid $ 9 instead of $ 10 (3 x 9 =) $ 27 dollar. As the bellhop keeps $ 2, which must be subtracted from these $ 27 (not added) to reach the $ 25, which were finally due and paid, no dollar has disappeared.

But I admit, I was amazed - lol.