Algebra.Com's Answer #82871 by Edwin McCravy(20056)![\"\"](\"/images/stars/stars-13.gif\")  
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In a cafeteria if 20% of the children had hot dogs and the others had pizza, also 8 more children had pizzas than hot dogs, how many children were having lunch?
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document.write( "X = number of students
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document.write( "D - number of students that had hot dogs
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document.write( "P = number of students that had pizza
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document.write( "D = 0.20X
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document.write( "P = 8 + (0.20X)
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document.write( "When I added the two equations above I ended up with 20 but when I tried to use 20 in the equations above it did not work.
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document.write( "Help!
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document.write( "You just need one more equation, namely\r\n" );
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document.write( "D + P = X\r\n" );
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document.write( "Now substitute for D and P in that equation,\r\n" );
document.write( "using these:\r\n" );
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document.write( "D = 0.20X\r\n" );
document.write( "P = 8 + (0.20X)\r\n" );
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document.write( "Then you have\r\n" );
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document.write( " D + P = X\r\n" );
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document.write( " v v\r\n" );
document.write( "0.20X + [8 + (0.20X)] = X\r\n" );
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document.write( "X = 13 students.\r\n" );
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document.write( "That's not a whole number, but it IS the answer:\r\n" );
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document.write( "In the cafeteria 20% of the 13 children, or 2 children\r\n" );
document.write( "had hot dogs and the other 10 children had pizza.\r\n" );
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document.write( "This is the correct answer, since the last part\r\n" );
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document.write( "\"8 more children had pizzas than had hot dogs\"\r\n" );
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document.write( "is true because 10 is 8 more than 2.\r\n" );
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document.write( "So the problem is botched because it is against\r\n" );
document.write( "the law to cut children into fractions, and besides\r\n" );
document.write( "when you cut them up, they can't eat pizza or hot dogs.\r\n" );
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document.write( "Now tell your teacher to change the 8 to a 12, making it\r\n" );
document.write( "this instead:\r\n" );
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document.write( "In a cafeteria if 20% of the children had hot dogs and \r\n" );
document.write( "the others had pizza, also 12 more children had pizzas \r\n" );
document.write( "than hot dogs, how many children were having lunch? \r\n" );
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document.write( "Then it will work out to exactly 20 children. But the\r\n" );
document.write( "8 has to be wrong.\r\n" );
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document.write( "Edwin \r
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