Career Skills Enhancement Program (CSEP)
CSEP August 2001 Newsletter
1. At a banquet, 1/4 of the people drank coffee, 1/3 drank tea, and 2/5 drank milk. Three people did not have a beverage. How many people were at the banquet?
Let x = number of people at the banquet, Then:
1/4x +1/3x + 2/5x +3 = x
15/60x + 20/60x +24/60x + 3 = x ----- common denominator
59/60x + 3 = x
59/60x - 59/60x + 3 = x - 59/60x ----- subtract 59/60 from both sides
3 = 1/60x
(60/1) * 3 = 1/60x (60/1) ----- multiply both sides by 60
180 = x
2. When the stock market
opened on Monday, shares in UniCorp were listed at 6 1/8.
During the week it closed up 1.2 on Monday, down 3/8 on Tuesday, down 3/4
on Wednesday, down .125 on Thursday and up 1.25 on Friday.
What was a share worth when the market closed on Friday?
For most efficient computing, convert all numbers to same format (decimals or fractions). To go from fraction to decimal, divide bottom number (denominator) into top number (numerator). 1 divided by 8 is .125 so, 6 1/8 would be 6.125.
Then, worth = 6.125 + 1.2 - .375 - .75 - .125 + 1.25
worth = 7.325
3. The sum of three
consecutive odd integers is 417. Find
the integers.
If we Let x = first odd integer, then we can Let x + 2 = second odd integer, and we can Let x + 4 = third odd integer
Then x + (x + 2) + (x + 4) = 417
3x + 6 = 417 - combine like terms
3x + 6 - 6 = 417 - 6
3x = 411
3x/3 = 411/3
x = 137
x + 2 = second odd integer, so 139 is second odd integer
x + 4 = third odd integer, so 141 is third odd integer
And, 137 + 139 + 141 = 417
4. There are six times as many
students as there are non-students in the lunchroom.
Eight fewer than the number of students is equal to four times the number
of non-students. How many students
are in the lunchroom?
If we Let x = number of non-students then, we can Let 6x = number of students, then,
6x - 8 = 4x
6x - 4x - 8 = 4x - 4x
2x - 8 = 0
2x - 8 + 8 = 0 + 8
2x = 8
2x/2 = 8/2
x = 4
So, the number of non-students (x) is 4 and the number of students (6x) is 24.