The counter fun 分????
 

In my studies I ran across the counter fun sometimes being pronounced bun. I know it is pronounced pun sometimes. Is there a reason that it may be pronounced bun sometimes or is it just a mistake.

EX. sanjubbun
sanjuppun

Well, not as a counter (I used to say よんぶん and さんぶん all the time by mistake), but 三分する and 四分する both make it ぶん (they mean, respectively, to cut into three pieces and to cut into four pieces).

It is NEVER read the first way.

Half an hour = さんじゅっぷん

1/30 = 　さんじゅうぶんのいち

Oh yeah, there we go! It is often ぶん for a different counter meaning (denominators/"parts")!

Now I remember why I always make the mistake of saying １：０２ as ending with にぶん! Because of that blasted manga らんまにぶんのいち (that I read religiously as a kid)!

When we count minutes we say 'ippun, nihun, sanpun, yonhun/yonpun, gohun, roppun, nanahun, happun, kyuuhun, juppun, nijuppun, sanjuppun,...hyappun' etc.

But...

when we count something long, like... trees, sticks, pencils, films, bottles, cigarettes or bananas (What else? There must be more.), we say 'ippon, nihon, sanbon, yonhon, gohon, roppon, nanahon, happon, kyuuhon, juppon, nijuppon, sanjuppon, ...hyappon,' etc.

では小テスト。よ～く見てくださいね～

>゜))))彡　　←これは、いっぴきめのさかなです。
>゜))))彡　　←これは、にひきめのさかなです。
>゜))))彡　　←これは、さんびきめのさかなです。

おぼえましたか？では、

>゜))))彡　　←これは、うえの３つのうちの、どれ かです。これはなんひきめのさかなでしょうか？

(This riddle doesn't work in English.)

（あそんでごめんなさいww）

ごめんたさい　　So the book made a mistake

It's not 「ごめんたさい」but 「ごめんなさい」ですけど、but you don't have to apologize.

...So you can't solve my riddle?

いや、これには訳があるんです。このおっさん（なんて 多分十代だけど）、勝手ににスミッピさんや私が自分の カキコを読み間違えて、まったく我々が質問に答えてい ないかのように、かなり失礼なことを書いてきたんです 。で、なんだこいつと思い、しばらくして戻ってきたら 書きなおしてたんです。謝ったってわからないのにね。
＿＿＿＿

こいさんのクイズどう考えても分かりません。:o

..いっぴきめんだ！

Sorry if I add a little extra to the question. I have found a long time ago 分 used as counter for seats reserved at a restaurants. My dictionary doesn't really include that meaning so I cannot check it out again. When used with that meaning is it pronounced ぷん　ｏｒ　ぶん?