SOLUTION: A paroxysm of laughter escaped a few. If the ratio of the laughers to the solid was 2:17, and 7600 were in the throng, how many did not laugh? I tried dividing everything in half,

Algebra ->  Percentage-and-ratio-word-problems -> SOLUTION: A paroxysm of laughter escaped a few. If the ratio of the laughers to the solid was 2:17, and 7600 were in the throng, how many did not laugh? I tried dividing everything in half,       Log On


   

Question 1078587: A paroxysm of laughter escaped a few. If the ratio of the laughers to the solid was 2:17, and 7600 were in the throng, how many did not laugh? I tried dividing everything in half, but that didn't work, so I need a little help, please. Thank you!
Found 2 solutions by KMST, MathTherapy:
Answer by KMST(5328) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
laughers= number of people who laughed
solid= number of people who did not laugh
There was a total of 7600 people.
Since laughers%2Bsolid=7600 , laughers=7600-solid .

We are told that
laughers%2Fsolid=2%2F17 , so %287600-solid%29%2Fsolid=2%2F17 .

We solve for solid :
%287600-solid%29%2Fsolid=2%2F17
17%2A%287600-solid%29=2%2Asolid
17%2A7600-17%2Asolid%29=2%2Asolid
17%2A7600=17%2Asolid%2B2%2Asolid
17%2A7600=%2817%2B2%29%2Asolid
17%2A7600=19%2Asolid
17%2A7600%2F19=solid
6800=solid
There were highlight%286800%29 who did not laugh among the 7600 in the throng.

Answer by MathTherapy(10552) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!

A paroxysm of laughter escaped a few. If the ratio of the laughers to the solid was 2:17, and 7600 were in the throng, how many did not laugh? I tried dividing everything in half, but that didn't work, so I need a little help, please. Thank you!
Fraction that laughed: matrix%281%2C3%2C+2%2F%282+%2B+17%29%2C+%22=%22%2C+2%2F19%29

Fraction that DID NOT laugh: matrix%281%2C3%2C+17%2F%282+%2B+17%29%2C+%22=%22%2C+17%2F19%29

Number that DID NOT laugh: