re: Three Traveling Salesmen at a Hotel (No homo)

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The trick is in the "each paid $9" phrasing. They did, so $27 went in the till, and the clerk stole $2 of that.

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That's what I'm talking about!

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Again, it's the clerk's $2 plus $25 in the till and $3 with the men equals $30.

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Obviously. Once the men are paid back the $3, why are you even still talking about them having paid $30? They paid $27, and that's the number that matters. The $2 the bellboy kept came out of that $27, and that's why it's invalid to think of it as 3*9+2 = 30. You should be thinking of it as 3*9-2 = 25. Keep track of the cash flows, and don't incorrectly mingle them between different entities.