Three men checked into a small motel in a remote town and told the clerk they'd share a room which costs $30 a night; each man took $10 out of his wallet. Immediately after arriving in their room the hotel clerk stopped by to apologize because their particular room should have been $25 not $30. He took out five ones and began handing the money back to each man. After giving each guy $1 they all agreed that he should keep the $2 because of his honesty.
Let's look at what happened. At first each man contributed $10 which is a total of $30. Then they each got a dollar back and let the clerk keep $2. So at this point they all contributed $9 for the room which is $27 total and gave the clerk $2 which totals $29. Where did the other dollar go?
Give it some thought and then when you’re ready reference the explanation below.
It’s kind of a trick question but it does show how you can get two different truths out of the same scenario, basically two sides to every story. There’s no doubt you can argue that a dollar is missing because all three men invested $9 into the room ($27 total),because they each got a dollar back, and the clerk walked away with $2 making the total $29…a dollar is missing; you can’t legitimately argue against this point. But working it backwards the room cost $25, the clerk gave the guys $3 and he kept $2…this totals $30 so a dollar isn’t missing. The fact is one person could argue legitimately that a $1 is missing while another could prove the $1 is still there. This stretches the mind a bit.
Let's look at what happened. At first each man contributed $10 which is a total of $30. Then they each got a dollar back and let the clerk keep $2. So at this point they all contributed $9 for the room which is $27 total and gave the clerk $2 which totals $29. Where did the other dollar go?
Give it some thought and then when you’re ready reference the explanation below.
It’s kind of a trick question but it does show how you can get two different truths out of the same scenario, basically two sides to every story. There’s no doubt you can argue that a dollar is missing because all three men invested $9 into the room ($27 total),because they each got a dollar back, and the clerk walked away with $2 making the total $29…a dollar is missing; you can’t legitimately argue against this point. But working it backwards the room cost $25, the clerk gave the guys $3 and he kept $2…this totals $30 so a dollar isn’t missing. The fact is one person could argue legitimately that a $1 is missing while another could prove the $1 is still there. This stretches the mind a bit.
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