Ah,its 11pm...yall are confusing me tonight.I'm going to sick with my answer....

 

You're right. I missed that point.

But the point is that instead of 3 x 9 = 27, + 2 = 29, the truth is (in regards to this problem) $25 + $3 = $28, plus the other 2 stolen dollars. So in the end, the 3 x 9 + 2 just won't add up to $30 no matter how you do it.

 

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?

BTW, Countrysweetie, You nailed FWIW

 

It doesn't add up because they got their $3 back!!! Don't you see!! It cost $25, the guy took $2, and they got back $3. $30. It adds up if you do it right!

 

Ok, here is another way of presenting it

The 3 guys pay the hotel

Hotel - $30
Guys - $0
Bell Boy - $0
___________
Total - $30

The hotel gives $5 to the Bell Boy to give back to the guys

Hotel - $25
Guys - $0
Bell Boy - $5
___________
Total - $30

The Bell Boy gives the guys $3 back and keeps $2

Hotel - $25
Guys - $3
Bell Boy - $2
___________
Total - $30
So as you can see, there is no extra dollar 25 + 3 +2 = 30

And you can see that the guys started out with $30 and ended up with $3, so they paid $27

 

he gives each man a one dollar and puts two dollars in his pocket.

the day clerk came out on top for this one. the salesmen got swindled hahaha!!! I think the real point to this thing is that how crappy a 25 dollar room a night w/ three dudes in it is.

 

As mentioned the extra dollar is in one of the guys pockets.

They actually paid $27 ($30 - $3 refund)
They were supposed to pay $25, with the addition of the $2 to the nite clerk it cost $27.

$25 - Base cost of room
$2 - Nite clerk
=$27 total paid (i.e. 3 x $9)

The extra $3 got refunded to the guys, the trick is with the wording, attempting everyone to think that it was $27 + the $2 nite clerk.
When in reality it is $27 INCLUDING the $2. The other $3 was refunded to the guys.

And yes Dennis, I am up for this Funtest.

 

Money paid=$30
Cost of Room=$25
Money Refunded=$3
Money Taken by bell hop=$2
Reading the arguement over this confusing question =priceless

 

FLASH IS MY HERO!

This is too funny!

-Matt

P.S. Oh by the way, I would be interested in another Funtest, if I qualify.

 

This has been a great thread. You guys are my kinda folks. I love the debate. Okay, this was, for real, the only question on my final exam for Advanced College Algebra, which I had a 4.0 grade average. If you will read D-ranged 2.5's early comments, he is correct that the scenerio is leading you to make a mistake and follow the incorrect set up of the math problem. The prof stated after the exam, if you can't set the problem up at the beginning correctly, you missed the whole point of algebra.

 

Advanced College Algebra, that sounds like something fun; I'm that strange guy that enjoyed math, favorite class in college so far has been Differential Equations, followed by multivariable calculus :-)

 

O.k. I'm still working on this.
Each man pays $9, $10 - $1 refund 3x9=27
Bell hop gets $2 tip
27+2 = $29

Revalation, thats how they figure taxes outa my pay check!
I'm goin to get even, wheres my prybar.

 

The problem makes no since at all... If you know what to add and subtract the dollar is always there...

 

Wait, here's something to think about.

The room cost $25. They paid $30. ... Actually, they paid $27. No, they paid $25, because the other $2 was STOLEN!!!

 

It's not "27 PLUS 2", it's 25 plus 2, or 27 MINUS 2. The "problem" makes a mistake in saying, "...plus 2 equals $29. What happened to the other dollar?"

Think of it as customers on one side, and hotel and staff on the other.

$30 (paid) - $3 (refund rec'd) = $30 (rec'd by clerk) - $5 (paid by clerk) + $5 (rec'd by bell boy) - $3 (paid by bell boy), which (do the math) reduces to:

$27 (paid) = $25 (rec'd by clerk) + $2 (rec'd by bell boy)


The guys each paid $10 and got $1 back, so their total expenditure is $27. Period. No more. The room cost $25, so they should have each received a refund of $1.66 2/3, but instead, the bell boy kept the $0.66 2/3 from each of the guys and only gave them $1 each. 3 x $0.66 2/3 = $2. In the end, the guys paid $27: $25 to the hotel and an unknown-to-the-guys tip of $2 to the bell boy. The wording of the problem leads you to add the $2 to the $25 twice, and then ask where the extra dollar went, instead of adding $2 then $3 to the $25. It's a play on a person's desire to not work in fractional dollars and cents. Each guy had the following cash:

$10 (cash in pocket)
-$10 (original payment to hotel clerk)
+$1.66 2/3(amount of refund)
-$0.66 2/3(unknown tip to bell boy)
----------
$1.00 (cash in pocket after all transactions)

The last two transactions were undertaken by the bell boy FOR them, so they only saw one combined transaction of $1.00.

If you still don't understand it, ask an accountant to set up the t-charts for you to show you all the appropriate transactions, both the debits and the credits for everyone involved. D-ranged2.5 listed something very close.

Jason