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Original poster

So, how many people were in the office?!

73 replies

BringOnTheScience · 25/05/2017 20:34

AQA..
1/4 of the women wear glasses.
3/8 of men wear glasses.
84 people in the office wear glasses altogether.
How many people were in the office?

DC1 and classmates couldn't solve it.
I can't see how without trial and error.

Any maths teachers?

OP posts:
CremeEggThief · 25/05/2017 20:36

84 is equal to 5/8, so you need to find out what 8/8 is.

StealthPolarBear · 25/05/2017 20:38

I don't think it's 5/8, maybe 5/16

StealthPolarBear · 25/05/2017 20:38

84x16/5 maybe

StealthPolarBear · 25/05/2017 20:38

Are we assuming the same number of men and women there

StealthPolarBear · 25/05/2017 20:39

I need a pen and paper

UncontrolledImmigrant · 25/05/2017 20:40

I don't think that is right.

1/4 of some number of women wear glasses - call this 1/4w
3/8 of some number of men wear glasses - call this 3/8m

All the people wearing glasses number 84, so that 1/4w + 3/8m = 84

I think you'd need to know what one of the terms was

StealthPolarBear · 25/05/2017 20:40

You have to assume the same number of men and women I think

GreyVelvet · 25/05/2017 20:41

Surely unless you know the proportion of women to men you can't work it out

CormorantDevouringTime · 25/05/2017 20:43

If it's equal numbers then it's easy. If you don't know the split it's impossible.

DarkFloodRises · 25/05/2017 20:45

It's an equation with two unknowns. You can't solve it without another piece of information.

TeenAndTween · 25/05/2017 20:46

Not a teacher, but do have a maths degree.

I don't think that is solvable, so I think you have missed out a piece of information?

GinGeum · 25/05/2017 20:47

I tried to work this out. Got a figure of 252, and then scrolled down to the comments and realised how far off the mark my understanding is Blush bloody maths...

TheUnseenAcademic · 25/05/2017 20:47

Agree that you need to know ratio of men to women to work it out.

MaroonPencil · 25/05/2017 20:49

You can have equations with two unknowns. Apparently. m.wikihow.com/Solve-Systems-of-Algebraic-Equations-Containing-Two-Variables

MaroonPencil · 25/05/2017 20:50

I have got as far as x+1.5y=336 but that could be complete bollocks since the last time I did maths was AS Level 22 years ago.

ClashCityRocker · 25/05/2017 20:50

Can't you just add up the fractions?

Disclaimer: I'm shit at maths. But I think if you add up the fractions it comes to a quarter of people on t he office (although I'm not convinced I know how to add up fractions) so the answer would be 84 x 4?

ClashCityRocker · 25/05/2017 20:51

Sorry, no the fractions don't add up to a quarter. Told you I was shit at maths!

SpuriouserAndSpuriouser · 25/05/2017 20:51

I got 268.8 which I don't think is right...

ClashCityRocker · 25/05/2017 20:51

Do they add up to a third?

HarveySchlumpfenburger · 25/05/2017 20:51

I don't think it can be 5/16 because that wouldn't give a whole number of people as the total.

Mind you neither does 5/8 but it couldn't be that anyway.

Chocchip88 · 25/05/2017 20:53

I've found someone asking this elsewhere online. The first line of the question is that there are twice as many women as men.

ClashCityRocker · 25/05/2017 20:54

I got 134.40.... Oh dearBlush

CormorantDevouringTime · 25/05/2017 20:59

Aha. In that case it's trivial (mathematical term meaning it's been a long day and I can't be arsed).

TeenAndTween · 25/05/2017 21:01

So with chocs info we get

m=96, w=192, total = 288

Gingernaut · 25/05/2017 21:02

84 people = 5/8.

However, 84/5 = 16.8 people

So 16.8 x 8 = 134.4 people.

Which is silly.