document.write( "<A HREF=/cgi-bin/jump-to-question.mpl?question=231172>Question 231172</A>: <I><SPAN STYLE=\"word-break: break-all;\"> a group of friends went out to dinner and had a bill that totaled $288. WHen it came time to split the total cost of the bill equally, each person who was left (2 people left early) had to pay an extra $4.80 on top of their own part to cover the price of the two missing people. How many people were in the original dinner group? </SPAN>\n" );
document.write( "</I><HR><TABLE width=100%><TR><TD><B><A HREF=http://www.algebra.com/>Algebra.Com's</A> Answer #171122 by </B><A HREF=/tutors/aboutme.mpl?userid=stanbon><B>stanbon(75887)</B></A><img src=\"/images/stars/stars-13.gif\" alt=\"\" >&nbsp;<A HREF=/tutors/aboutme.mpl?userid=stanbon><IMG SRC=http://www.algebra.com/images/aboutme-small.gif BORDER=0 alt=\"About Me\" VALIGN=MIDDLE></A>&nbsp;<IMG SRC=http://www.algebra.com/images/nopicture.jpg><BR>You can <A HREF=\"/cgi-bin/embed-solution.mpl?show=1&solution=171122\">put this solution on YOUR website!</A><BR><SPAN STYLE=\"word-break: break-all;\"> a group of friends went out to dinner and had a bill that totaled $288. WHen it came time to split the total cost of the bill equally, each person who was left (2 people left early) had to pay an extra $4.80 on top of their own part to cover the price of the two missing people. How many people were in the original dinner group?<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "Let the original number in the group be \"x\":<BR>\n" );
document.write( "Original average cost was  288/x dollars<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "After two left there were \"x-2\" in the grou:<BR>\n" );
document.write( "New average cost was 288/(x-2) dollars<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "Equation<BR>\n" );
document.write( "New average - old average = 4.80 dollars<BR>\n" );
document.write( "288/(x-2) - 288/x = 4.8<BR>\n" );
document.write( "Divide thru by 4.8 to get:<BR>\n" );
document.write( "60/(x-2) - 60/x = 1<BR>\n" );
document.write( "60x - 60(x-2) = x(x-2)<BR>\n" );
document.write( "120 = x^2-2x<BR>\n" );
document.write( "x^2-2x-120 = 0<BR>\n" );
document.write( "(x-12)(x+10) = 0<BR>\n" );
document.write( "Positive solution:<BR>\n" );
document.write( "x = 12 (original number in the group)<BR>\n" );
document.write( "Cheers,<BR>\n" );
document.write( "Stan H.<BR>\n" );
document.write( " </SPAN>\n" );
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