please explain a math problem to me..

[patrick t. cakes]

im trying to figure out a simple equation with ratios.

if the ratio of private school students to public school students is 3 to 16 and there is a total of 18,601
students, how many students are in public school?

now i have the answer from the back of the book but for the life of me i cant figure out the steps
to reach it. im doing cross multiplicating and things of that nature but nothings doing.

the answer is 15,664 public school students.

the book nowhere explains this , or at least in any way decipherable to me.

im in a math for elementary educators class and this text book is ridiculous.
i know this is basic math, which is not my favorite, but its been years since ive
done anything with ratios.

any lounge math wizards out there? cheers

[PRETZEL]

1. 16 of 19 children are in public school

divide 16/19 then multiply that decimal by 18,601. The rounded answer is 15,664 public school children.

[patrick t. cakes]

3. thank you i just did that

man i need more yerba. 19 is the total, then cross multiply

man i am not a friend of the math

[suninvited]

2. so for every nineteen students there are sixteen in public schools

18601 divided by 19 = 979

979 X 16 =15664

[mainegreen]

4. n = 16 * 18601 / 19

3:16 = a base unit of 19

:D

[patrick t. cakes]

6. thanks

:hangover:

[patrick t. cakes]

8. cute kid by the way

love those bell bottoms

[Moondog]

5. 3+16=19 18601 / 19 = 979 979*16=15664

[Dr. Strange]

7. I'm not that good with numbers, but...

my approach: let 3x and 16x denote the number of private and public school students, respectively. (We know we can do this, since the ratio is 3 to 16, which is what 3x to 16x simplifies to after canceling the xs.) Then the total number of students is 3x + 16x, which is 19x. So 19x = 18601. Solving for x yields x = 979. So there are 3x = 2937 private school students, and 16x = 15664 public school students. And, just to check (which is ALWAYS a good idea in a math problem):
2937/15664 simplifies to 3/16 which is the right ratio!

[Inchworm]

10. Pretty good with words

I get it!

:woohoo:

[flvegan]

11. Meh. What do you know.

[Dr. Strange]

13. Hey now!

I've been known to spend many hours looking at figures!

[madinmaryland]

15. Can you explain this formula to me, Doctor??

(44+6)/10 = Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl Championships

:D

[Dr. Strange]

19. I think it means this:

44 + 6 = 50, and 50 modulo 10 is zero, which, while not the total number of Cowboys SB wins, does equal the number of SB wins in this century.

That's my understanding of the formula.

[HopeHoops]

9. The answer is "green".

Sorry, I thought it was a trick question




-- Old Peanuts cartoon - Peppermint Patty is the one saying that.

[pokerfan]

12. I like setting up the ratios and cross-multiplying

but another way is percentages (at least to double check the answer).

If the ratio is 3 private to 16 public then 16 out of every 19 is public for a percentage of 84.2105263%.

Then 84.2105263% of 18,601 is 15,664 public.

[malta blue]

14. If Dr. Strange is wrong, then the answer is 42.

:hi:

See, you lost me after "math problem"












:hide:

[Dr. Strange]

17. I don't understand what you mean here:

If Dr. Strange is wrong

I mean, I understand the words. But strung together like that, the meaning eludes me.

[malta blue]

18. and that is why I lurvs ya

:rofl::rofl::rofl:

[Dr. Strange]

20. .... ....

:D

[applegrove]

16. Add 3 and 16 together. Divide that total number of children by 19. Multily

that number by 16.