Ever wonder how those crooked accounting firms first learned to "cook the books"? Chances are, they started out innocently enough creating math puzzles-- but they weren't very good at it, so they had to leave the math puzzle business and go into a profession where confusing the reader was highly desirable-- ACCOUNTING!
Even math instructors will sometimes form a question awkwardly. But with a little IMAGination and a little practice, you can learn to recognize badly formed questions and turn them into solvable ones.
The following puzzle was surely written by a accountant so don't worry when you can't immediately solve it. Remember, the goal is not to solve but to recognize the awkwardness of the question.
Here's the story.
After a long day on the road, a three piece band checks into a hotel. The desk clerk asks for $30 for the room. Each member of the band chips in $10 and they check in. Later that evening, the hotel manager, a tediously honest woman, is reviewing the day's receipts only to discover that the band was not given the special musicians rate of $25/night.
The desk clerk has gone home for the evening so the manager sends a bellboy to deliver the musicians $5 change. On the way to the room the bellboy reasons that $5 would be difficult to share amongst three people so he pockets $2 and gives $1 to each musician. Now each person paid $10 and got back $1. So they paid $9 each, totalling $27. The bellboy has $2, totalling $29. Where is the remaining dollar?
Think about the problem for a couple minutes-- or until your head starts to hurt. Then come get a clue.
