How do you attack this problem:

"Apples are collected in a basket for 6 people. One-third, one-fourth, one-eighth, and one-fifth are given to four people, respectively. The fifth person gets tens apples with one apple remaining for the sixth person. Find the original number of apples in the basket."

I came up with 1/3x + 1/4x + 1/8x + 1/5x + 11 = x. After using the least common denominator of 120, adding them up to 109/120x, I had:

109/120x + 11 = x.

Then I subtracted 109/120x from x, which resulted in 11/120x. Then I multiplied by 120/11 on both sides, and ended up with x = 1320/121, or 10.90 repeating. This is wrong, as the answer is 120. How do I do this problem?

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Also, if you have a triangle, and the base is 4 inches, one side is 3 inches, one side is 2 inches, and x represents half the height, and the area is 2.9047 inches squared, how do you find X? The answer is ~.65 inches, but using the formula for the area of a triangle, A = 1/2 X b X h, I get:

2.9047 = 1/2 X 4 x 2x, as 2x equals the height. Which equals:

2.9047 = 2 X 2x, 2.9047 = 4x, and then 2.9047/4 = ~.726. However, x does not equal ~.726, but ~.65.

__________________
Excelsior, BS, pursuing degree

Completed:
CLEP: Hum. (67), Hist. of U.S. I (74), Hist. of U.S. II (71), Intro. Psych. (69), Intro. Soc. (72), Soc. Sci. and Hist. (74), Western Civ I (72), Western Civ II (70), Am. Lit. (60), Intro. to Educ. Psych. (62), P. of Management (74), P. of Market. (74), Intro. Bus. Law (67), P. of Accounting (60), AmGov (68)
DSST: Ethics in Am. (76), P. of Super.(67), HRM (65), Intro to Bus. (70), MIS (65), P. of Fin (62), M&B (65), P. of Stat. (68)
ECE: OB (B)
TECEP:: IntFin, SecAna

Others

Total Credits: 129

[quote=mstcrow5429]How do you attack this problem:

"Apples are collected in a basket for 6 people. One-third, one-fourth, one-eighth, and one-fifth are given to four people, respectively. The fifth person gets tens apples with one apple remaining for the sixth person. Find the original number of apples in the basket."

I came up with 1/3x + 1/4x + 1/8x + 1/5x + 11 = x. After using the least common denominator of 120, adding them up to 109/120x, I had:

109/120x + 11 = x.
quote]
Here is the rest of the problem:
Get x on one side of the = sign, 11 = x-109/120x
(convert the 1x to a fraction) 11 = 120/120x - 109/120x
11 = 11/120x
multiply by the reciprical to get 1x and being sure to multiply both sides by this: 120/11 x 11 = 11/120x x 120/11
giving the answer of 120 = x
You can plug in x and see that this is the correct answer.

__________________
Dawn
Taking the Road Less Traveled
The Journey of A Thousand Miles Starts with The First CLEP
BS-Psychology - Excelsior College
Enrolled in the School of Business, BS in Accounting
After MIS I'll be halfway there!
72 CLEP Credits, 21 DSST Credits, 25 ECE Credits (Including Inf Lit), 6 TESC Credits, 2 FEMA Credits = 126 Total
Withholding 6 Credits for Accounting = 120 for Psychology
12 credits completed toward my accounting degree