Alright, this isn't new, and I've actually seen it before, but I never actually gave it thought until now and... well, it's not long, just read.

***
Three karate students travel together to Chicago to train in their organization's headquarters on Saturday. When they arrive in the city, they go to the hotel to check in. They plan to share the same room. The desk clerk quotes a rate of $30.00 for the night. They pay him and go to their room.

But, then the clerk remembers there is a weekend special room rate of $25.00 a night. Trying to correct the situation he gives five one dollar bills to the bellboy to take to the guest's room. On the way there, the bellboy says to himself, "three people can't divide five dollars evenly between them," so he takes two dollars for himself and when he gets to the room he gives each karate student a one dollar refund. So, each of the karate students paid nine dollars.

But if each of the students paid nine dollars, together they paid $27 dollars and the worker kept two dollars for himself. That totals $29.00. So where did the extra dollar go?

***

So, perhaps I'm simply lazy and not giving this enough thought, or perhaps I'm an idiot, but where the hell did the dollar go? Cthulhu?

Tucked in my g-string boyee.

Time paradox!

Kid 1 pays $10.
Kid 2 pays $10.
Kid 3 pays $10.

The hotel owner has $30.
The hotel owner returns $5.
The hotel owner now has $25. (The cost of the room)

The bell boy keeps $2.
The bell boy gives each kid $1.

Kid 1 only had to pay $9.
Kid 2 only had to pay $9.
Kid 3 only had to pay $9.

Each kid has paid $9, the bell boy has $2, and owner has his $25.

Don't try to add up to 30.
You have to subtract down to 25.

Nowhere, the question is just wrong/trying to confuse you.

Clerk charged $30, realized it was a special day, gives 5 bucks to the bell boy to bring it up to the customers. Thats $25 left. He realizes they can't split it, so he takes two bucks. Theres 3 dollars left, he gives it to the customers. Each of them get a dollar. The question ends there.

The "they payed 9 dollars each" bit is irrelevant to the question.

$25 + $3 = $28.
$28 + $2 = $30.

$30 - $3 = $27.
$27 - $2 = $25.

Three guys at a hotel? What a bunch of pencil munchers.

Divide by 0.

3 karate boys in a room lol

so he takes two dollars for himself and when he gets to the room he gives each karate student a one dollar refund. So, each of the karate students paid nine dollars.

The ****er took 3 dollars. Hence he was a karate student.

Mathematically.

10 + 10 + 10 = 30
30 - 5 = 25
5/3 =/= positive integer so...
5-2 = 3
Each boy gets one buck back and bell boy gets 2.

Why this problem is flawed: it says that each boy pays nine dollars which deviates from the order of operations.
What your saying is 3(10 - 1) + 2 = 29 =/= 30
When it should really be 3(10) - 5 + 3 + 2 = 30

I'm leaving this open for interpretation.

The 'each boy pays 9 dollars' part applies after they get their 1 dollar refund.

Each boy pays $10 each. That's a toal of $30 paid to the clerk. Clerk gives $5 to the bell boy, who takes $2 and gives $3 to the boys.

No money vanished at all, the question is just worded akwardly.

So, in summary, the answer is: the dollar didn't go anywhere?

This is a very old riddle.

The first time you hear it is ****ed up, till you write it out on paper. Then it's very obvious that the riddle was just worded in a way to make it sound as if it vanished. No sense getting all mathimatical about it seeing as how 4 people before me already did that.

hermmmm...i still don't get it..SO WHERE DID THE DOLLAR GO?

Read all the posts.

I don't know why all of you put so much thought into it. The answer is simple, $30 - $2 is $28, not $27. One boy paid $10.

They all still paid $9, but one paid $1 extra, the missing dollar.

What do I win?

I don't know why all of you put so much thought into it. The answer is simple, $30 - $2 is $28, not $27. One boy paid $10.

They all still paid $9, but one paid $1 extra, the missing dollar.

What do I win?

Nothing, fool. :)

Always did hate funky word problems. Thanks for the responses, now I really do feel simple.

Nothing, fool. :)

BANZ0R HIM!!

Whoa, I totally got that wrong. Maybe I should've waited until I wasn't half alseep, 1 o'clock is not my best time for riddles!:p

No time is my time for riddles. .T T