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 March 1st, 2015, 09:44 PM #1 Senior Member     Joined: Jan 2012 Posts: 721 Thanks: 7 How many boys are in the class? In a class of 52 students, 16 are science students. If 1/3 of the boys and 1/4 of the girls are science students, how many boys are in the class? Total no of student in class = 52 no of science student = 16 no of non science student = 52 - 16 = 36 1/3 of the boys = science students 1/4 of the girls = science students How do I know the number of girls or boys in non science class?
 March 1st, 2015, 09:59 PM #2 Senior Member     Joined: Jul 2010 From: St. Augustine, FL., U.S.A.'s oldest city Posts: 12,155 Thanks: 466 Math Focus: Calculus/ODEs I would write: $\displaystyle \frac{1}{3}B+\frac{1}{4}(52-B)=16$ $\displaystyle \frac{1}{3}B+13-\frac{1}{4}B=16$ $\displaystyle \frac{1}{12}B=3$ $\displaystyle B=36$ Thanks from Hoempa
March 1st, 2015, 11:22 PM   #3
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Quote:
 Originally Posted by Chikis In a class of 52 students, 16 are science students. If 1/3 of the boys and 1/4 of the girls are science students, how many boys are in the class?
$\displaystyle b= nr.\ boys, \ \ g=nr.\ girls \\\;\\ b+g=52\ \ \ (*) \\\;\\ \dfrac{1}{3}b+\dfrac{1}{4}g = 16|_{\cdot 12} \\\;\\ 4b+3g+12\cdot16 \\\;\\ b+3b+3g = 12\cdot16 \\\;\\ b+3(b+g)=12\cdot16 \\\;\\ b=12\cdot16-3(b+g)\ \stackrel{(*)}{\Longrightarrow}\ b=12\cdot16-3\cdot52 \\\;\\ b=3(4\cdot16-52)=\ 3(64-52)=3\cdot12 = 36 .$

 March 2nd, 2015, 03:49 AM #4 Math Team   Joined: Apr 2010 Posts: 2,778 Thanks: 361 Alternatively, similar to MarkFL's method, Suppose all students are girls. Then, there are 52 girls and 13 are science students. Replacing one girl with one boy adds 1/3 - 1/4 = 1/12 science student. We lack 16 - 13 = 3 sciencestudent. So replace 3 / (1/12) = 3 * 12 = 36 girls with 36 boys and we have 36 boys and (52 - 36 = 16) girls.
March 2nd, 2015, 04:13 AM   #5
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 Originally Posted by MarkFL I would write: $\displaystyle \frac{1}{3}B+\frac{1}{4}(52-B)=16$ $\displaystyle \frac{1}{3}B+13-\frac{1}{4}B=16$ $\displaystyle \frac{1}{12}B=3$ $\displaystyle B=36$
Why ? Could you please explain?

March 2nd, 2015, 04:17 AM   #6
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 Originally Posted by aurel5 $\displaystyle b= nr.\ boys, \ \ g=nr.\ girls \\\;\\ b+g=52\ \ \ (*) \\\;\\ \dfrac{1}{3}b+\dfrac{1}{4}g = 16|_{\cdot 12} \\\;\\ 4b+3g+12\cdot16 \\\;\\ b+3b+3g = 12\cdot16 \\\;\\ b+3(b+g)=12\cdot16 \\\;\\ b=12\cdot16-3(b+g)\ \stackrel{(*)}{\Longrightarrow}\ b=12\cdot16-3\cdot52 \\\;\\ b=3(4\cdot16-52)=\ 3(64-52)=3\cdot12 = 36 .$
How? Could you explain?

 March 2nd, 2015, 05:32 AM #7 Senior Member   Joined: Apr 2014 From: Glasgow Posts: 2,103 Thanks: 704 Math Focus: Physics, mathematical modelling, numerical and computational solutions Look at the first equation of MarkFL's method and ask yourself what each term represents. For example, what might B mean? What does $\displaystyle \frac{1}{3}B$ represent? If you do this, you'll realise that it's quite obvious how the equation is derived. We could tell you straight, but you'd probably kick yourself.
March 2nd, 2015, 09:15 AM   #8
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Quote:
 Originally Posted by Chikis How? Could you explain?

Holding your hand over the pencil.

Your hand should be relaxed,
with the fingers and thumb lightly holding the pencil.

So and only so you will see ...
how the green grass grows.

 March 2nd, 2015, 11:05 AM #9 Global Moderator   Joined: Dec 2006 Posts: 18,962 Thanks: 1606 Clearly, 1/4 of the boys and 1/4 of the girls would total 1/4 of 52, which is 13. As 1/3 of the boys exceeds 1/4 of the boys by 1/12 of the boys, 1/12 of the boys is equivalent to 3 boys, and so there are 36 boys.
 March 3rd, 2015, 12:16 AM #10 Senior Member   Joined: Apr 2014 From: Glasgow Posts: 2,103 Thanks: 704 Math Focus: Physics, mathematical modelling, numerical and computational solutions Just to clarify, what I was referring to was this: $\displaystyle \frac{1}{3}B + \frac{1}{4}(52-B) = 13$ $\displaystyle \frac{1}{3}B$ is the number of boys who do science. $\displaystyle (52-B)$ is the number of girls in the class, so $\displaystyle \frac{1}{4}(52-B)$ refers to the number of girls who do science. $\displaystyle 13$ is the total number of people who do science. Therefore, the first equation of MarkFL's answer is: number of boys who do science + number of girls who do science = total number of people who do science. The rest is just simplification to get a result. It's a nice answer Thanks from MarkFL and phrack999

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# in a class of 52 students.16 are science students.if 1/3 of the boys and 1/4 of the girls are science students.how many boys are in the class

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