SOLUTION: The ratio of boys to girls in the class was 4:5. There were 24 people in the class. How many boys? How many girls?

Question 401145: The ratio of boys to girls in the class was 4:5. There were 24 people in the class. How many boys? How many girls?
Found 3 solutions by stanbon, solver91311, richard1234:
Answer by stanbon(75887)   (Show Source): You can put this solution on YOUR website!
The ratio of boys to girls in the class was 4:5. There were 24 people in the class. How many boys? How many girls?
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4:5 is the same as 4x:5x where 4x is # of boys and 5x is # of girls.
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Equation:
4x+5x = 24
9x = 24
x = 24/9
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4x = 96/9
5x = 120/9
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Comment: Neither of those numbers is a whole number.
Either the ratio or the total in the class is incorrect.
===============
Cheers,
Stan H.
Answer by solver91311(24713)   (Show Source): You can put this solution on YOUR website!

I took one look at the numbers in this problem and couldn't resist doing it all the way through. Talk about ROFLMAO.

Let represent the number of boys. Then must be the number of girls.

Cross-multiply

That's right, sports fans, ten and one-third boys, from which it follows that we have 13 and two-thirds girls.

So what do we have?

One very effeminate boy who is actually 2/3 girl? One slightly butch girl that is actually 1/3 boy? Someone part way through the process of sex change? A space alien that doesn't differentiate between the sexes quite in the same fashion that humans do (nevertheless qualifies as a person lest we run afoul of those who would call us criminals if we don't celebrate all diversity)? Or how about 8 boys, 10 girls, 1 teacher (an adult and therefore neither a boy or a girl), and 5 administrators from the School District Central Offices, who, though they add little or no value to the educational process by their presence are classified as people (see diversity discussion above) and are also, chronologically in any case, classified as adults?

I give up. Tell your teacher/instructor/professor to use his or her head for something besides a hat rack.

John

My calculator said it, I believe it, that settles it

Answer by richard1234(7193)   (Show Source): You can put this solution on YOUR website!
Wow, this is a fail math problem. Apparently we have a fractional number of boys and girls because

4x + 5x = 24 --> x = 24/9 = 8/3, so 32/3 boys and 40/3 girls...?
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