text: here's a math question, no answer as far as i can tell...? 3 guys walk into a motel for the night. the clerk says it's $30 for the night, so they pool their money and come up with the cash. later, the clerk finds he overcharged them by $5. he give a bellboy the $5 in dollar coins, and tells him to give them the money. rather than giving them the whole thing, the bellboy pockets $2, and gives each of the men $1. now figure this: instead of paying $10 per person, each man only pays $9 because of the returned dollar. 9 times 3 is 27, and the bellboy pocketed $2. 27 plus 2 is 29. where's the other dollar? the problem misleadingly suggests that the amount the three men paid ($27) and the amount the bellboy kept ($2) should add up to the original amount ($30).  not so.  actually, the $27 includes the $2.  in other words, of the $30 the three men originally had, $25 went to the motel and $2 went to the bellboy -- that's the $27; the remaining $3 went back to the men.  imagine the same problem with different numbers.  let's say the clerk discovers he overcharged the men by $27.  he gives the $27 to the bellboy; the bellboy gives each man $1, and keeps $24.  obviously, the amount the men paid ($27) and the amount the bellboy kept ($24) don't add up to anything significant (and certainly not even close to $30).