SOLUTION: Hi, I am having trouble with this problem Kate gave 5/6 of her CD’s to Sue. Sue gave 7/8 of these to Joan. Joan gave 3/5 of these to Ann. If Ann recieved 70 CD’s, how many did K

Algebra ->  Customizable Word Problem Solvers  -> Misc -> SOLUTION: Hi, I am having trouble with this problem Kate gave 5/6 of her CD’s to Sue. Sue gave 7/8 of these to Joan. Joan gave 3/5 of these to Ann. If Ann recieved 70 CD’s, how many did K      Log On

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Question 1124440: Hi, I am having trouble with this problem
Kate gave 5/6 of her CD’s to Sue. Sue gave 7/8 of these to Joan. Joan gave 3/5 of these to Ann. If Ann recieved 70 CD’s, how many did Kate have originally?

Answer by math_helper(2461) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
The answer is 160, but the problem is nonsensical.
————
Let x be the number Kate had originally
Then (5/6)*(7/8)*(3/5)x = 70
x = 70*(5/3)*(8/7)*(6/5) = 160

BUT, this means Kate gave (5/6)*160 = 133.3333 CDs to Sue
Sue gave (7/8)*133.3333 = 116.66667 CDs to Joan
Joan gave (3/5)*116.6667 = 70 CDs to Ann

It is the fractional CDs that make the problem nonsensical.