Maths question - Civil Service is wrong (we now have 100% more threads about the subject)

Think of it as a raffle. You pick year 1 out as the first figure. Say you have 10 tickets in the 100-ticket raffle, you now have 99 tickets left and 9 prizes.
Total tickets have now decreased by 1% leaving 99% of tickets left. If the 10th ticket drawn is the top prize, of a trebled circulation for your paper, you now have less chance of winning that prize if your ticket was drawn first. But the 3rd ticket wins the booby prize of a 25% reduced circulation - yet you now have even more chance of winning that, as another ticket was taken out to win the 1st and 2nd prizes.

Your prize was confirmed by email to someone who has stolen your email address but with dots in it, and when you try to email them to tell them, you just get the email back to yourself. There is a 50% chance of that happening, but you have doubled your emails because you both sent and received it (an increase of 100%).

Does that help?

On the off chance spider isn't a troll, and ignoring the percentage increase vs percentage of argument...

@Spiderbitebatbite according to your calculations after year 1 the number is 200 and after year 3 the number is 300. Your numbers. But you also think that's a 450% increase? From a sense check perspective, does that not seem wrong to you?

@Merryoldgoat you fundamentally don’t understand the question and want 125% to be the answer when it isn’t even an option.

It is clear as day 450% is the answer. You’ve bullied and berated the few with the right answer. But you are wrong.

450% is the correct answer.

There are people who say 450% or 250% or whatever. There are people who say 125%.

And some people say their answer must be right because their answer is one of the options given in the test. Have those people thought about the fact that the question-setter could be anyone on this thread. I mean someone is wrong. So why is the idea that the answers offered might be wrong such a completely incomprehensible thought? I mean you’d like to think the question was checked, but I’m 125% sure someone knocked this up quickly and no checking was done.

What - you think the laws of mathematics are somehow subjective?

🤣

The clue is in the word represents! The key is in the fact that trebling represents a 300% increase.

This is the issue - you fundamentally don’t understand what a percentage increase is.

You've jumped the shark now spider. 125/225 for effort though

Don’t think so. Not for this question. That is why you are getting 125% a non answer btw oh but 450% is a valid answer. I’ll stick with 450%. I can’t make it any simpler than I have. I even used the 50 starting point to try and help me visualise 125% but oh I couldn’t because it’s the wrong answer😂

450% is the correct answer

OK. So you start with 50, then double to 100 in year one, treble to 300 in y2 then reduce by a quarter in yr3 to finish at 225.

If the answer really was 450%, you'd have to go from 100 in yr1 to 550 at the end of y3.

The correct answer is 125% - the test was wrong!

i agree - otherwise it’s supremely depressing

The clue is in the word represents! The key is in the fact that trebling represents a 300% increase.

I mean it’s so clear. I demonstrated how I got to 450% using the 50 starting point you wanted me to.

I can’t make it any clearer if you don’t grasp the basics.

@Spiderbitebatbite

If something trebles it increases BY 200%

Take 2 as a starting point

2 x 3 = 6

the increase is 4 (6 - 2)

4 is 200% of 2

6 is 300% OF 2 but a 200% INCREASE

@Merryoldgoat you can berate and make fun all you want. You are wrong. So wrong.

I think spider is on the wind-up....

Surely this will be picked up by the media, and the question posed to the Civil Service to clarify? In the public interest? Or a FOI request to ask how many people give the correct answer of 125% (which will mean they have to admit the answer options are all incorrect)?

This is the best, and most bat-shit thread in a long time.

#team125%

🤣🤣🤣

You’re trolling aren’t you? Which part is wrong?

Honestly it’s mind boggling.

I’ve done the calculation algebraically for a third time in the hope it will help people who are still confused but I won’t hold my breath.

Wrong. The fact that you state it has trebled one year means you must understand the answer has to be at least above 300%. I mean this is basic stuff!

I have demonstrated why the answer is 450% over and over just like a few others have. The fact is there is a drop down box with the correct 450% answer and not 125%. I mean it is so obvious.

I can’t simplify it anymore.

I know the correct answer is 450%.

@Spiderbitebatbite

Christ on a bike.

Y0 = x
Y1 = 2x (doubled)
Y2 = 6x (trebled 2x)
Y3 = 4.5x (fallen by a quarter of 6x which is 1.5x)

This is irrefutable and an extremely way to write the basics of the problem

Calculate the percentage increase at end Y3 from end Y2

so percentage increase when the start is 2x and the end is 4.5x

the VALUE of the increase if 2.5x

You [one] needs to work out the percentage 2.5x is of the starting value - 2x

2.5x / 2x = 1.25

multiply by 100 for the percentage - 125%

If you get anything else you are not answering the question asked.

50
As question states start at 100 after the doubling 50
100
300
150

Why are you going from 300 to 150? Which bit of the question does that represent?
And, again, why are you then adding 300% and 150%?

@Spiderbitebatbite

well I get to 125% with different numbers over and over.

You being wrong repeatedly doesn’t make you correct.

The fact you don’t understand what a percentage increase is will mean you do the incorrect calculation over and over and get the wrong result.

You aren’t brave. You’re stupid. And not because you got the wrong answer, because in spite of very clear explanations using basic maths (not your convoluted bollocks) you can’t see why you’re wrong.