A Question Even Rob Can't Answer

[other dog]

I first heard this question years ago, and no one knows the answer-

3 men are traveling in a blizzard and stop at a motel in a small town somewhere near Peoria,Il. There's only one room left so they share it. The clerk tells them the room is $30 so they each pay $10.

When the manager comes in later he tells the clerk he overcharged the men, the room was only $25.

He gives the clerk $5 and tells him to take it back to them.

The clerk figures you can't divide $5 three ways, so he puts $2 in his pocket and gives the men back a dollar each.

Now, if they each got a dollar back that means they paid $9 each instead of $10. And 9x3 is 27, the $2 the clerk kept makes 29...so what happened to the other dollar?

[blueknight0517@yahoo.com]

Other Dog

The three men did not in fact pay 25 dollars for the room. the only paid 24. The manager gave the clerk 5 dollars making one assume they paid 25 dollars. In fact, each paid an even amout (10 each) carry through that assumption: they each paid 8, which makes 24 Plus five, makes 29 plus the dollar lost in the even split. if you divide the 3 into the 25 in becomes 8.3333, the 33 cents is the lost dollar.

Jim

Happy New year.

[Bollweevil]

lost logic is particularly hard to follow. It's their own dang fault, they should have stayed at <The Auto Affair>, they could have shared a delicious road kill casserole, some equally confounding conversation and you can be sure that the manager knows how to count money properly. Anyway what does leap year have to do with this.

[Lmackattack]

wheres Larry at? I think he stays at the Holliday Inns all the time?

Trent

[Rob]

lost logic is particularly hard to follow. It's their own dang fault, they should have stayed at <The Auto Affair>, they could have shared a delicious road kill casserole, some equally confounding conversation and you can be sure that the manager knows how to count money properly. Anyway what does leap year have to do with this.

There is always room at Auto Affair for anyone that wants to visit, or stay for a spell. I've got a three bedroom house co located on the property that my daughter stays in during off times from school. When she graduates next March, I will look to rent it with reservation on one of the bedrooms, and a bath.

I plan to do this to support my customer base with the "old trucks" as to invite their participation.

WTF is the use for "logic". Never use the stuff myself. I'm dangerous enough without a brain, (according to my wife).

Now I must go "street scraping" for next weeks appetizers. The ice is thawing due to warmer weather and would sure hate for the delicacies to go to waste.

Rob

[other dog]

Other Dog

The three men did not in fact pay 25 dollars for the room. the only paid 24. The manager gave the clerk 5 dollars making one assume they paid 25 dollars. In fact, each paid an even amout (10 each) carry through that assumption: they each paid 8, which makes 24 Plus five, makes 29 plus the dollar lost in the even split. if you divide the 3 into the 25 in becomes 8.3333, the 33 cents is the lost dollar.

Jim

Happy New year.

but still-if they paid 10 each,then got a dollar each back they paid 9 instead of 10...and 5 dollars back from the original 30 is 25-it just does not compute (the robot-lost in space)

[other dog]

There is always room at Auto Affair for anyone that wants to visit, or stay for a spell. I've got a three bedroom house co located on the property that my daughter stays in during off times from school. When she graduates next March, I will look to rent it with reservation on one of the bedrooms, and a bath.

I plan to do this to support my customer base with the "old trucks" as to invite their participation.

WTF is the use for "logic". Never use the stuff myself. I'm dangerous enough without a brain, (according to my wife).

Now I must go "street scraping" for next weeks appetizers. The ice is thawing due to warmer weather and would sure hate for the delicacies to go to waste.

Rob

sign spotted on lightpole last spring near Farmington,Il.

[other dog]

wheres Larry at? I think he stays at the Holliday Inns all the time?

Trent

I think he needs to stay at a Holiday Inn Express to figure this out.

[peterj]

think of it this way....of the 30...motel still has 25...drivers have3 (1ea) ...other guy has 2...no missing money..

[Rob]

sign spotted on lightpole last spring near Farmington,Il.

I remember that one well. Five more minuets on the griddle, and he would have been perfect.

Rob

[other dog]

think of it this way....of the 30...motel still has 25...drivers have3 (1ea) ...other guy has 2...no missing money..

agreed-but still, a dollar back each- $9 paid

3 times is $27

plus the $2 the clerk kept-

it should come out to the same, but it doesn't

[Rob]

agreed-but still, a dollar back each- $9 paid

3 times is $27

plus the $2 the clerk kept-

it should come out to the same, but it doesn't

Too much time on your hands......

Rob

[other dog]

Too much time on your hands......

Rob

you may be right-i'm going back to work

[David]

They each paid 9, X3 is 27. LESS(not plus) the 2 the clerk kept is 25. The amount the motel was paid is 25. The 30 is the MSRP. Nobody pays retail.

[other dog]

They each paid 9, X3 is 27. LESS(not plus) the 2 the clerk kept is 25. The amount the motel was paid is 25. The 30 is the MSRP. Nobody pays retail.

ohhh...

[blueknight0517@yahoo.com]

Other Dog.

Ok, I got lost in my own logic aftert rereading my post.

Each man paid $10 10 X 3 = $30

Manager told clerk to give back $5 clerk kept $2 so....3 X 9 = 27 plus 2 is 29 Short one dollar.

But if each were charged equally for the 25 it would be $8.33 when the clerk gave them one dollar they would have been carged $9.33. 9.33 X 3 = $29.99999999 (etc).

The confusion begins with the $25. They each paid equal amounts, so they would have paid 8.33 to equal 25. The .33 times 3 is the missing dollar.

beisdes who pays $30 for a room for three in this day and age!

I'll keep the light on.....

Jim

Edited December 28, 2008 by blueknight0517@yahoo.com

[Bollweevil]

Do not assume" facts not in evidence", CSI NY. fact #1, cost of room $25.00. Fact#2, clerk collected $30. Fact #3, Manager instructs clerk to return $ 5.00. Fact #4, clerk puts $2.00 in pocket. Fact #5 clerk returns $3.00. The actual cost of the room $25, + $3 which the clerk returned = $28 not $27, not $29. $28 + $2 which the clerk stole = $30. At no time, as per the original question, was the clerk instructed to equally divide the refund. Might he have had an accomplice to split with, also not in evidence. Conclusions, splitting anything including firewood is risky. Never under any circumstance pay for a Motel with an ATM card. Logic is not always logical.

[bulldoggin']

[other dog]

really! I'm going back to the beginning-there is no answer

[theakerstwo]

I have my grandson working on it so no need in me trying to work on it. glenn

[Bollweevil]

really! I'm going back to the beginning-there is no answer

Sure there is, the assumption is that is a dollar missing. Not so, to simplify the managers instructions, he should have taken a penny out of the penny box near the cash register and said to the clerk " take this $5.01 down to that room and give each man $1.67" He didn't, and the clerk being somewhat of a charlaton put $2.00 in his pocket, thereby shortchanging the three men $. 66666667 each. The motel is not missing a dollar. And the guests are not missing a dollar, collectively they are missing two dollars. Which is not actually missing, but misappropriated by the clerk. When logic fails, numbers don't lie. The motel has 25 the guests have 3 and the clerk has 2 that's 30. When the clerk took the $2 that left $28 of the total. split 3 ways it became $9.33 . Returning $1 each it becomes $8.33 which is the shared cost of the room $25. That still leaves each guest $.67 short of their $10. You can see first hand, any day that you choose at any McDonalds that you choose that no one, kids especially is required to learn to make change.

[ThaddeusW]

Its a trick question. They deliberately tell you they paid nine dollars for the room when in fact they did not. They paid ten, refunded 5 but the clerk pocketed 2. Nine dollars is thrown in to fool you into using their bad math and confuse you. In reality each man paid 10, multiplied by three is 30. Take away two the clerk pocketed and you are left with 28. Now just divide the 28 by 3 and you get 9.333~. Or the simple formula of (30-2)/3 which is 9.333~ dollars. They leave out the .333~ to fool you.

[CML Service]

This has been very amusing. I sent it to a buddy of mine who is currently in Irac. He then posed the question to several other Navy men. It seems it kept them busy for quite some time and they came to no definate conclusion. At the very least it served to amuse them and take thier mind off the place thier in. They all thank you.

Chuck

[Bollweevil]

This has been very amusing. I sent it to a buddy of mine who is currently in Irac. He then posed the question to several other Navy men. It seems it kept them busy for quite some time and they came to no definate conclusion. At the very least it served to amuse them and take thier mind off the place thier in. They all thank you.

Chuck

Amusing. How dare you, it"s been hilarious. It would have been even more fun if those guys could have seen this thread, and participated. LOL

[Freightrain]

I stay at the Holiday Inn Express and put it on the company card. Don't know...don't care what it costs.............LOL!!!!!

Have to agree, the reverse math is NOT logical and using totals from two different math equations.

The guys paid $10 each x3 = $30

they got $3 back, so they guys paid $27 TOTAL. No matter what.

The clerk got $2 in his pocket, no matter what. The differences in the two equations are the rounded cents(like previously noted) but you can't mix the two since mathematically it doesn't come out an even number.