tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3788815717138857415.post8118180360892156408..comments2023-03-26T03:45:52.451-04:00Comments on In One Era And Out The Other: The missing dollar..Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3788815717138857415.post-71880249190447335822009-01-27T17:32:00.000-05:002009-01-27T17:32:00.000-05:00Howdy,I'm not sure I understand what One Reader me...Howdy,<BR/><BR/>I'm not sure I understand what One Reader means, but the apparent difficulty is that the wrong things are being added--I'm reminded of a New Yorker cartoon of a road sign "Welcome to Pilleywog, Founded 1729, population 10000, elevation 289, total: 12018".<BR/><BR/>Here are two correct ways of looking at it. Consider the $30;<BR/>the desk clerk has 25, the men collectively have 3, and the bellhop has 2--so the total is $30.<BR/><BR/>You can also look at it person-by-person: The desk clerk has $25, the men collectively have -$27 (that's negative), and the bellhop has $2--so the sum is 0 which is what it was before the start of the story.<BR/><BR/>I like to preface the story with a different version, a set-up for the con--adding up the same wrong things, but rigging it so that the sum seems correct: Same $30, but the desk clerk gives the bellhop $6 to return; the bellhop returns 3 and keeps 3--now the men are out collectively $27 and the bellhop has $3, so the total is $30, as (should not have been) expected.<BR/><BR/>Someone wrote a poem about this story I'd be happy to have a reference for.<BR/><BR/>Be Well,<BR/><BR/>KellyAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13377930630263525406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3788815717138857415.post-89824845895010551672008-11-13T10:07:00.000-05:002008-11-13T10:07:00.000-05:00Ok, but they didn't each pay $9 for their room...Ok, but they didn't each pay $9 for their room - the room only cost $25, so two paid $8.33 and one paid $8.34, adding up to $25. If they paid $8.33 (or $8.34) & got $1 back that means two of them tipped $.67 and one tipped $.66 adding up to the $2. Or something like that. ;-)One Readerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12768744370858632841noreply@blogger.com