   Help me figure this out....
  The Dollar:Three salesmen decided to share a $30 hotel room for one night and split the cost evenly.After they checked in, the hotel manager noticed that they should have been charged only $25 for the room.So, he gave the porter five one-dollar bills and said to return the money to the three men. As the porter was walking to the salesmen''s room, he wondered how he was going to split the five dollars evenly between the three salesmen.  So, he put two dollars in his pocket and gave each of the three salesmen one dollar.Now, if each of the salesmen paid $10 for their share of the room and were given one dollar back, then they each would have paid $9 for the room. Nine times three is twenty-seven, plus the two dollars the porter put in his own pocket is twenty-nine(9 x 3 = 27. 27 + 2 = $29) Where is the other dollar?Think about it. 
  Hi Pal,It's a trick in the wording of the puzzle. Yes, each salesman put in $10 giving you $30. But the cost of the room was, in the end $25, so each salesman paid $8.33 ($25 / 3). The porter gives them $3 back and steals $2 (maybe the salesmen weren't big tippers) from the $5 extra that was given.So that's  ($8.33 * 3) + $3 handed back + $2 kept = $30   Edit: That actually comes to $29.99. One of the salesman in fact paid $8.34 and the other two paid $8.33[edited by - Ethereal on August 1, 2003 5:07:21 AM];  Nine times three is twenty-seven, plus the two dollars the porter put in his own pocket is twenty-nineBecause that isn''t the sum that happened. The sum is 9 x 3 = 27.  The porter takes two of this ammount he doesnt add 2 and then there is a remaining 3 which is 1 for each man.I think :/ ;quote:Original post by Ethereal  Hi Pal,It''s a trick in the wording of the puzzle. Yes, each salesman put in $10 giving you $30. But the cost of the room was, in the end $25, so each salesman paid $8.33 ($25 / 3). The porter gives them $3 back and steals $2 (maybe the salesmen weren''t big tippers) from the $5 extra that was given.So that''s  ($8.33 * 3) + $3 handed back + $2 kept = $30   Edit: That actually comes to $29.99. One of the salesman in fact paid $8.34 and the other two paid $8.33[edited by - Ethereal on August 1, 2003 5:07:21 AM]Righto! I think you got it right and now I get it too. Thanks. 