SOLUTION: Northwest Airlines passes out peanuts to customers who want them. On several recent flights to Boston, 72% of passengers who were asked accepted the peanuts, and 23% rejected the p

Question 144004: Northwest Airlines passes out peanuts to customers who want them. On several recent flights to Boston, 72% of passengers who were asked accepted the peanuts, and 23% rejected the peanuts. A total of 36 passengers were asleep and not asked. How many passengers were on these flights?

How do I go about setting this problem up in order to figure the number of passengers?
Answer by ptaylor(1894) (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!

Let T=the total number of passengers on the flights

Now we know that 72% plus 23% or 95% of the passengers were asked and either accepted or rejected the peanuts, leaving 5% of the passengers (or 36) who were not asked. The total number of passengers minus the passengers who were asked equals the passengers who were not asked. Or the passengers who were asked plus the passengers who were not asked = the Total number of passengers
So or equation to solve is:
T-0.95T=36 (or 0.95T+36=T)
0.05T=36
T=720

Another way to look at the problem is as follows:
36 is 5% of what number?
0.05T=36 divide each side by 0.05
T=720----------------------------------total passengers on board
Notice that the 72%/23% could as well be 90%/5% or 60%/35% or 50%/45% etc. It's the sum that's important
Hope this helps---ptaylor