SOLUTION: The following is the problem: The village was polygot. If the ratio of bilingual denizens to trilingual denizens was 14 to 3 and the denizens totaled 3,400, how many were trilingu

Algebra ->  Percentage-and-ratio-word-problems -> SOLUTION: The following is the problem: The village was polygot. If the ratio of bilingual denizens to trilingual denizens was 14 to 3 and the denizens totaled 3,400, how many were trilingu      Log On


   

Question 59406This question is from textbook Algebra 1 An Incremental Development
: The following is the problem:
The village was polygot. If the ratio of bilingual denizens to trilingual denizens was 14 to 3 and the denizens totaled 3,400, how many were trilingual?
Can you tell me whether I am doing this right or not?
My work:
T/D
T/3,400 = 3/3,400
T3,400 = 3,400*3
T3,400 = 10,200
T3,400/3,400 = 10,200/3,400
T=3
I keep coming back to the answer already given for trilinguals. I don't think that I am coming up with the correct answer. Can you please show me what I am doing wrong (if I am doing anything wrong at all). Thank you so much! This question is from textbook Algebra 1 An Incremental Development

Answer by funmath(2933) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
The following is the problem:
The village was polygot. If the ratio of bilingual denizens to trilingual denizens was 14 to 3 and the denizens totaled 3,400, how many were trilingual?
:
There are several ways to do this. I'll explain my reasoning.
I don't know what polygot means, but I am assuming that the denizens (don't know what that is either) are either bilingual or trilingual. (Nobody speaks only one language or 4 or more languages.) If that's true:
The percentage of trilingual denizens is: 3%2F%2814%2B3%29=3%2F17
That means that 3 out of 17 denizens are trilingual.
Let trilingual be:T
Therefore your proportion is:
T%2F3400=3%2F17
3400T%2F3400=%283400%29%283%2F17%29
T=10200%2F17
highlight%28T=600%29
Happy Calculating!!!