SOLUTION: A party of fishermen rented a boat for $240. Two of the men had to withdraw from the party and, as result, the share of each of the others was increased by $10. How many were int h

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Question 897021: A party of fishermen rented a boat for $240. Two of the men had to withdraw from the party and, as result, the share of each of the others was increased by $10. How many were int he original party?
Answer by stanbon(75887) About Me  (Show Source):
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A party of fishermen rented a boat for $240. Two of the men had to withdraw from the party and, as result, the share of each of the others was increased by $10. How many were int he original party?
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Let original number in party be "x"::
Average cost per person = 240/x
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New number in the party:: x-2
New Average cost per person:: 240/(x-2)
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Equation::
New average - old average = 10 dollars
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240/(x-2) - 240/x = 10
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240x - 240(x-2) = 10x(x-2)
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480 = 10x^2-20x
x^2 - 2x - 48 = 0
x = 8 (original # in party)
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Cheers,
Stan H.