# So old,  can any one remember?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-old-can-any-one-remember/36024>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [October 7, 2000, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-old-can-any-one-remember/36024 "2000-10-07T00:08:56Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![poppyp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/87869e/32.png) [@poppyp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/poppyp)\
**Post date:** [October 7, 2000, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-old-can-any-one-remember/36024/1 "2000-10-07T00:08:56Z")

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Three guys go to a hotel and rent a room. The guy says the room is $30. They each give him $10 and go to their room. A few minutes later the guy discovers that the room he rented them is only $25. He gives the bell-hop $5 and tells him to return it to the guys in the room. On the way there the bell-hop can’t figure out how to divide the $5 between 3 guys, so he gives them each $1 and keeps the other $2. So they only paid $9 each for the room, which comes to $27. The bell-hop kept $2, that’s $29 … where did the other dollar go ???

* * *

poppy \<\<\<\<\<\< feelin’ so stupid right now.

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**Author:** ![Gunslinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gunslinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gunslinger)\
**Post date:** [October 7, 2000, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-old-can-any-one-remember/36024/2 "2000-10-07T00:32:33Z")

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:rolleyes:

You’re counting the wrong numbers. The $2 the bellhop kept is part of the $9 each paid, and then you’re adding it on again at the end instead of the $3 refund.

A = Final cost($25)  
B = Amount that bellhop kept ($2)  
C = Amount refunded to men ($3)

so A + B + C = 30

But your statement is saying:  
(A + B) + B = 29

Get it?

If not, [maybe Cecil can explain it better](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a910621.html).

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**Author:** ![Fyodor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/958977/32.png) [@Fyodor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fyodor)\
**Post date:** [October 7, 2000, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-old-can-any-one-remember/36024/3 "2000-10-07T00:42:03Z")

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You are counting some money twice when you say:

“So they only paid $9 each for the room, which comes to $27. The bell-hop kept $2, that’s $29”

You have already counted the $2 kept by the bell-hop in the cost of the room. You tried to trick us when you said “that’s $29”, sneakily adding the $2 to the $27 that already includes the $2.

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**Author:** ![poppyp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/87869e/32.png) [@poppyp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/poppyp)\
**Post date:** [October 7, 2000, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-old-can-any-one-remember/36024/4 "2000-10-07T00:45:52Z")

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Thanks Gunslinger, I see the error of my thinking!  
Guess I must be smokin’ too much!

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**Author:** ![John\_Kentzel-Griffin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ccd318/32.png) [@John\_Kentzel-Griffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Kentzel-Griffin)\
**Post date:** [October 7, 2000, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-old-can-any-one-remember/36024/5 "2000-10-07T01:05:17Z")

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This has come up several times before on the board. **Cecil** has written a column on it.

Check out [The 3 guys, the bellhop, and the missing buck.](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a910621.html)