A tough Riddle!

[king-DAVID]

My mom told something which can only be described as a riddle.I've been trying to find a logical explanation but I just can't seem to get one.Maybe with all the smart people here I could get some help.Anyways here goes....

"Three men are traveling acroos the land,when they decide to stop and rest.They see a little hotel and decide to stay there.When they go inside they talk to the clerk,he tells them that he only has one room.This means that they are going to have to sleep in the same room.They agree to it,so the clerk tells them it's going to be 30 dollars.Each one of them gives him 10 dollars.After they go to their room the clerk begins to feel bad because he charged them to much for a room that sucks.So the clerk calls the bagboy over and tells him to take 5 dollars to the three men that just came in.As he walks towards their room,the bagboy thinks to himself that they already paid 30 dollars,so he might as well take a bit of the money.He takes 2 dollars.When he arrives he gives them each a dollar.They think that it's great because now they only paid 9 dollars each instead of ten."

So after the bagboy gave them 3 dollars back, each paid 9 dollars.That's, 9x3=27,plus the two that the bagboy took 27+2=29.What happened to the other dollar?The math should come out to 30 dollars not 29.What this riddle is stating is that the order of the factors does change the result.That is something that I find impossible,which is why I'm trying to find a logical explanation.Any help?

 

[Tsukasa]

$30- 5
($5 which they get back)
30-5=25
bagboy takes $2 (we include it with the total)
That comes, 25+2=27
Now, they also got the $3, so we include that with the totals as well:
25+2+3=30 =/

So, the sum is: 3x10-5+2+3=30

 

[Shinoda_EX]

the bagboy thinks to himself that they already paid 30 dollars,so he might as well take a bit of the money.

Travelers didn't pay 30 yet.
Owner >5> Travelers
Boy >5-2=3> Travelers
Travelers now have 3(10+1) = 33 + 2 = 35 - 5 = 30.

Either you write the problem down wrong or i'm misinterpreting it.

 

[king-DAVID]

See,that's the thing to this riddle Tsukasa.If you do the math any other way you get 30,but if you do it in the way the riddle say you only get 29.Which is why I can't figure it out.If your working with the same numbers,the order shouldn't matter.


The travelers had already paid.Nice try though Shinoda_EX,I think you might be misinterpreting it though.

 

[Enchanted Rose]

Wow..riddles.. how cool

 

[Cloud_Unchained]

I asked my math teacher the riddle and he gave me a detention for making him think so hard. jk.

He couldn't figure it out either.

 

[Majik1387]

the owner has $25, the bagboy has $2, and the travelers have $3.
25+3+2=30
there is no extra dollar

 

[Majik1387]

also the travelers thought they paid $9 dollars when they actually paid about $8.33 (the .3 doesn't end)

 

[Sora_thekeybearer]

While Majik1387 is right, they are not seeking for another process to solve the problem, they are looking to find it as the riddle says. So here it goes:
they paid the bagboy 2 dollars (the 3 of them)
=) I think you all forgot who paid those $2 dollars the bagboy stole.... The clerk gave them 5 dollars back, & they (all 3) paid the bagboy $2 dolalrs...... (3/2=1.5, look at the .5 & multiply by the 2 dollars & u'll get ur dollar back!)
=) Hope this helped & didn't confuse =)

Who asks for help receives help -my mother says it a lot =S

 

[The Big Lovin']

HA!!!! I win!!!!! I think.....

Here it goes

The three men each paid 10 bucks.
10+10+10=30

Then the clerk gives 5 bucks to the boy to give to the men. But he takes 2.
So that leaves three dollars. So the boy gives them each 3 dollars.
30-3=27

27/3 is 9 dollars.

Told you guys.

So its:

10+10+10=30, 5-2=3, 30-3=27, and 27/3=9

but then wheres the extra dollar? Well thats easy.......one of the men have it.

 

[Puddle Jumper]

the owner has $25, the bagboy has $2, and the travelers have $3.
25+3+2=30
there is no extra dollar

Yup .... That explanation I understood

And it's true

 

[king-DAVID]

Actually Sora_thekeybearer is the only one that got it right.Like I said many times,I wasn't looking for a different process to solve the riddle.It had to be solved how the riddle stated.His explanation is the one that makes the most sense,but thanx to all of you who tried.I appreciate it .

 

[stephaknee]

Actually, STKB is wrong.

=) I think you all forgot who paid those $2 dollars the bagboy stole.... The clerk gave them 5 dollars back, & they (all 3) paid the bagboy $2 dolalrs...... (3/2=1.5, look at the .5 & multiply by the 2 dollars & u'll get ur dollar back!)

Why would you divide three by two? It would be two divided by three.. Two dollars, split among three people. The clerk has 25 dollars, not 27. So, you go by how much each man payed for that 25, the question is asking how much the clerk was payed. So..

25/3 = 8 1/3 ! To check our math, let us add the other numbers in.

8 1/3 * 3 = 25.
25 + 3 = 28.
28 + 2 = 30.

And just because you put a requirement that you can't use another algebraic equation to solve this riddle, does not mean that the riddle is limited to one simple way of figuring out the answer.

 

[Majik1387]

3 travellers give clerk $30, $10 from each traveller
clerk gives $5 to bagboy
bagboy takes $2, returns $3
10+10+10=30
30-5=25
5-2=3
so travellers have $3, bagboy has $2, and clerk has $25

I followed the way that king-DAVID wrote the problem and I still find no extra dollar

 

[stephaknee]

3 travellers give clerk $30, $10 from each traveller
clerk gives $5 to bagboy
bagboy takes $2, returns $3
10+10+10=30
30-5=25
5-2=3
so travellers have $3, bagboy has $2, and clerk has $25

I followed the way that king-DAVID wrote the problem and I still find no extra dollar

yes, but that doesn't answer how much the men payed. You just basically repeated the riddle, you didn't find an answer. You have to find the equal division split among the men, and then plug it into an equation to find the total amount payed

 

[Majik1387]

the travellers paid $27 together because 9x3=27
but you dont add the bagboy's money to the $27 because it's included in the $27 (The clerk has $25 and the bagboy $2. 25+2=27)
so the answer is
10+10+10=30-5=25
5-2=3
3/3=1
25+2=27
9/3=27
27+3=30
you weren't supposed to add the bagboy money to the $27 because that's where the problem is.

 

[Simplicity]

Besides, why are you so surprised that if you solve it in a certain order it comes out to 27, anyway? It's called the order of operations. If you work outside of the order of operations, you get a different answer. >>;

(Please. Excuse. My. Dear. Aunt. Sally.)
Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication, Addition, Subtraction.

If it asked you to solve the problem in a certain order, and you solved it in a different order than it asked you to, you're going to get a different answer. Because math is stupid.

I say let's shoot the bagboy in the leg, steal his two bucks, and go get some candy with our ill-gotten booty. =/ Then the guys only have to pay 9 dollars, justice is served, and everyone's happy.

 

[Sora_thekeybearer]

.....
Better return to my process, right?
Hehehehe, until now, only I have followed the order on which the riddle came, & gave a full explanation
=)

 

[Majik1387]

.....
Better return to my process, right?
Hehehehe, until now, only I have followed the order on which the riddle came, & gave a full explanation
=)

actually no you didn't

 

[The Big Lovin']

Alot of these answers do sound right though.