The Missing Dollar

Time for a new puzzler.

Here we go.

Three guys check into a motel in the middle of nowhere. They are running from the law and they have to lay low for a night.

They are really strapped for cash so they decide to share one room. The approach the front desk clerk and he tells them that one room will be $30. This is the cheapest motel ever.

So, they each give the clerk $10 and then they go to the room.

After they leave, the clerk realizes that he overcharged them. They were having a special on rooms, and the price was supposed to be $25, not $30. So, he gives the bellboy $5 and asks him to return this to the three guys, since he overcharged them.

So the bellboy takes the $5, and as he is heading to the room, he thinks to himself, "Well, there are three guys, and $5. They won't be able to split this evenly, so I'm going to keep $2, and give them $3." So that's what he does.

He says to them, "Here's $3. You were overcharged for the room." And they say, "Thank you very much." He leaves having pocketed $2.

So here is the question.

They each spent $10 to start off with. Then they each get back $1. So they each spent $9 on the room. And 9 times 3 is 27. Plus the $2 that the bellboy stole. That all equals $29.

So, what happened to the other dollar? Since they originally spent $30?

Good luck.

Answer the Puzzler »

Remember last week's puzzler?

The Curve

This one is more for children. But adults can certainly take part, if they like.

Here we go.

Imagine two telephone poles, each one is 50 feet tall.

There is a chain that connects from the top of one telephone pole to the top of the other telephone pole. This piece of chain is 100 feet long.

So, a rope or chain that hanges between two points forms a mathematical curve, known as a catenary, which comes from a Latin word catena or catenaria, which means 'chain.'

The question very simply is, what must be the distance between these two telephone poles so that the lowest point of the chain just touches the ground?