🚀 go-pugleaf

haddadi@sipi.usc.edu (Navid Haddadi) writes:

>Here is a very old puzzle:
>Three men rent a room for $30. The inn keeper decides that he has
>over charged them and gives the bellboy $5 to give back to the men.
>The bellboy decides to keep $2 and give each man $1. 
>So, each man has paid $9 (3x9=27) plus the $2 that the boy kept.
>Hence, 27+2=30.
>
>It is actually more funny than silly!

Actually, to most readers of rec.puzzles, it's probably more tiresome
than funny.  I believe I've decided to add this one to the FAQ list,
which is coming Really Really Imminently Now.  Should I put in the one
about guessing the sex of the unknown sibling?  That one bores me to
tears, but there seems to be a lot of traffic on it this time.  Do
people actually enjoy that puzzle, too?

mag

P.S.  Innkeeper has 25, bellboy has 2, 3 x (man has 1).  30.
-- 
Tom Magliery ** Dept of CS ** 1304 W Springfield ** Champaign IL 61820 ** USA

In article <1k2sfkINN9pf@sipi.usc.edu> haddadi@sipi.usc.edu (Navid Haddadi) writes:
>Here is a very old puzzle:
>Three men rent a room for $30. The inn keeper decides that he has
>over charged them and gives the bellboy $5 to give back to the men.
>The bellboy decides to keep $2 and give each man $1. 
>So, each man has paid $9 (3x9=27) plus the $2 that the boy kept.
>Hence, 27+2=30.
>
>It is actually more funny than silly!

I am sure you'll get a million replies, but I am  posting because for
some bizarre reason, I couldn't get this old one out of my head as I
fell asleep last night.

The $2 that the bellboy kept is part of the $27, so it makes no
sense to add it to a sum it's already included in.

You can say: $30 paid = $25 charged + $3 refunded + $2 stolen, or
              $27 paid = $25 charged + $2 stolen.

--- adc

In a previous article, haddadi@sipi.usc.edu (Navid Haddadi) says:

>Here is a very old puzzle:

Agreed.

>Three men rent a room for $30. The inn keeper decides that he has
>over charged them and gives the bellboy $5 to give back to the men.
>The bellboy decides to keep $2 and give each man $1. 
>So, each man has paid $9 (3x9=27) plus the $2 that the boy kept.
>Hence, 27+2=30.
>
>It is actually more funny than silly!

Further, it's more flawed than funny.

You're treating the $2 as if it magically appeared in the bellhop's
grimy little hand. Recall that she got the money from the innkeeper,
who got the money from the guests.

Thus each guest contributed $9, including one third of the $25 that the
innkeeper kept ($8 1/3 each) and one third of the $2 that the short-timer
bellhop kept ($0 2/3 each). No biggie.


-- 
Marc Sira                    |
toh@micor.ocunix.on.ca       |  "Your god drinks...p-p-peach nectar!"
aa382@freenet.carleton.ca    '

In article <1k2sfkINN9pf@sipi.usc.edu> haddadi@sipi.usc.edu (Navid Haddadi) writes:
>Here is a very old puzzle:
>Three men rent a room for $30. The inn keeper decides that he has
>over charged them and gives the bellboy $5 to give back to the men.
>The bellboy decides to keep $2 and give each man $1. 
>So, each man has paid $9 (3x9=27) plus the $2 that the boy kept.
>Hence, 27+2=30.
>
>It is actually more funny than silly!


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From the Archive, the answer is:
********
logic/29.s
********
Each person paid $9, totalling $27.  The manager has $25 and the bellboy $2.
The bellboy's $2 should be added to the manager's $25 or subtracted from
the tenants' $27, not added to the tenants' $27.