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The Extra Dollar
Three men go to stay at a motel, and the man
at the desk charges them a total of $30.00 for the single room.
The men split the cost and pay ten dollars each.
Later the desk man decides that he overcharged the men,
and that the actual cost should have been only $25.00.
The desk man gives the bellboy $5.00 and tells him to give it to the men.
The bellboy, however, decides to cheat the men and pockets $2.00 for himself,
and gives each of the men only one dollar.
Now, each man has paid $9.00 to stay in the room, and 3 x $9.00 = $27.00.
The bellboy has pocketed $2.00 and $27.00 + $2.00 = $29.00.
Where is the missing extra $1.00, since this should add up to $30.00?
Be careful and analyze everything you read!
The error is in the wording of the $2 which the bellboy pocketed.
This should not be added; it should be subtracted, since the $2 the bellboy
got is part of the $27 dollars the three men spent altogether.
If you subtract the $2 from the $27 you get the $25 that actually went into the till.
If you are still confused, use 30 small pieces of paper
to represent single dollar bills, and move the bills around.