Puzzle - 18

Three friends went on a tour and rented a room for thirty dollars. The money was shared by them as ten dollars per head. After that, Cashier found out the rental is only twenty five dollars and made them pay extra five bucks. So, he called the room boy and gave him that five bucks asked to return the money to those friends. This guy to avoid complication in spliting took two dollars from it and gave back only three dollars them. The friends took back and each got one dollars and became like they paid nine bucks per head for the total rent of twenty seven dollars. If you add this twenty seven with two dollars that room boy took, it sums up only to twenty nine dollars. Where did the one dollar go then (when they originally paid thirty dollars)?

The answer is same as what the brilliant reader posted,

1) Room boy kept it but this wasn't stated in the problem.

3) Disappeared into another dimension.

SOLUTION

Nothing happened to the dollar. All the money is still there. Yes, they each ended up paying $9 each for a total of $27. Plus the $3 they got back is a total of $30-it's all there. They were supposed to pay $25 but they paid $27, which makes sense because the bellhop kept $2.

Charges: $25 for the room + $2 for the bellhop=$27 $30 initial charge - $3 refund = $27 Each paid $9 and $9 x 3 = $27

The trick is in the statement, "The three men had now paid $9 each, or a total of $27. This plus the $2 the room boy kept for himself makes a total of $29."

The $27 is the total payment and $2 is a cost, not a payment! It just happens to add up to $29 giving the illusion of a missing dollar.