"All words are symbols that represent unspeakable realities. Which is also why words are magical." (Donald Miller tweet)

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

a puzzle for you

Looking for a smart person, please.

A number of us have been puzzling over this question for the last several days. Monopoly money has been passed out, in an effort to solve it. A math teacher was even recruited, who muttered something about having seen this before, but just can't remember the exact answer.

Hmph.

I bet he doesn't know.

Do you?

Here's the scenario.

Three guys go to a hotel. (I don't know why. It doesn't matter. Maybe they were a touring band.)

The manager tells them that the hotel room is $30. So they each pitch in $10, and presto, the bill is covered.

After the guys head to their room, the manager realizes he overcharged them - the room is only $25.

So he hands $5 to the bellhop (are people called bellhops anymore? I don't know if I've ever seen anyone called a bellhop, except in the movies), and tells him to take it to the three guys.

The bellhop, however, had not been tipped. (Clearly these three guys have never seen a movie.) So he's annoyed, and keeps $2 for himself. Knocks on their door, hands them back $3, and leaves.

So each guy receives $1 back from the original $10 he put in.

Which all makes sense, right? Right.

Unless you do the math.

Because if each guy put in $10, and each guy got back $1, then each guy actually paid $9.

9 x 3 = 27.

Add 2 for what the bellhop took = 29.

Where, oh where, did the other dollar go????

I am in need of my brain for other endeavours, so if one of you could please tell me the answer to this question, that would be great. After all, that's what you're here for, right?