Actor A charges actors B1, B2, and B3 $10 each, for a total charge of $30. Next, A changes the total charge to $25. Next, Actor C gives $1 of the $5 difference to each of the Bs, and keeps $2. After having paid $10 and returned $1, each of the 3 Bs paid $9. $9 times 3 is $27, plus the $2 kept by C is $29. What happened to the extra $1 so that the sum is $30?
The flagrant lying is occurs from “plus the $2 kept by C” to the end.
Spreadsheet?? Just look at it this way: where is the money? The guests have paid $27, of which $25 is with the innkeeper and $2 is with the bellhop. Problem gone.
Which problem do you mean? The original riddle?
Actor A charges actors B1, B2, and B3 $10 each, for a total charge of $30. Next, A changes the total charge to $25. Next, Actor C gives $1 of the $5 difference to each of the Bs, and keeps $2. After having paid $10 and returned $1, each of the 3 Bs paid $9. $9 times 3 is $27, plus the $2 kept by C is $29. What happened to the extra $1 so that the sum is $30?
The flagrant lying is occurs from “plus the $2 kept by C” to the end.
You’re still telling it as a narrative. If you wrote it out as an Excel spreadsheet, I think the difficulty would vanish.
Spreadsheet?? Just look at it this way: where is the money? The guests have paid $27, of which $25 is with the innkeeper and $2 is with the bellhop. Problem gone.
The aim of my post is to point out that there is no difficulty until the riddler leads you into thinking there is. Nonetheless, you could do:
And then misdirect by saying “But,” then stating,
and then asking “Where’d the missing dollar go?”