Three friends check into a hotel room that costs $30 total, so they each pay $10. Later, the manager realizes there was a mistake and the room should only cost $25. He gives $5 to the bellhop to return to the guests. The dishonest bellhop pockets $2 for himself and gives $1 back to each of the three friends. Now, each friend has paid $9 (total $27), and the bellhop has $2, which equals $29. Where is the missing $1?

Question

Accepted Answer

There is no missing dollar; the math in the trick phrasing is flawed.. The guests paid $27 total ($25 went to the room, $2 to the bellhop). Adding the $2 the bellhop already has *to* the $27 they paid counts the bellhop's stash twice. You should add the $2 to the $25 room cost to get $27, plus the $3 returned equals the original $30.

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