Homework help pre algebra

[Mom loves Disney]

Title says it all. My daughter has been out sick and working on makeup work and I'm no help.


In Mr. Sander's class 1/3 of the students are girls. About 1/4 of the girls want to join the chorus. What Fraction of all girls in Mr. Sanders class want to join chorus.

Thanks for any help!!

 

[allison443]

Title says it all. My daughter has been out sick and working on makeup work and I'm no help.


In Mr. Sander's class 1/3 of the students are girls. About 1/4 of the girls want to join the chorus. What Fraction of all girls in Mr. Sanders class want to join chorus.

Thanks for any help!!

Hmm, the problem says "1/4 of the girls want to join"

So what is the question?

 

[Mom21]

Are you sure that is the exact wording of the question?

 

[Magic Mom]

Title says it all. My daughter has been out sick and working on makeup work and I'm no help.


In Mr. Sander's class 1/3 of the students are girls. About 1/4 of the girls want to join the chorus. What Fraction of all girls in Mr. Sanders class want to join chorus.

Thanks for any help!!

Just plug numbers in. Say there are 12 students. 1/3 are girls, that's 4 girls. 1/4 of the girls want to join the chorus. That's 1 girl. 1/12 of his students want to join the chorus.


ETA: I read your question wrong. If the question is exactly as you wrote it, then 1/4 of the girls want to join the chorus.

 

[Guy Incognito]

Hmm, the problem says "1/4 of the girls want to join"

So what is the question?

I was thinking the same thing unless the question is supposed to be what fraction of the entire class wants to join (in which case I believe it would be 1/12)

 

[rie'smom]

.25 X .33 =.0825

8.25/100
8.25 girls out of 100

The problem doesn't give the total number of girls.

Unless he just wants 1/4 of the girls.

 

[Mom loves Disney]

Ok, if we are both correct in that the answer is 1/4, this must be another question wrong on this study guide. This makes several wrong on the study guide. Thanks for your help. At least I'm not losing it yet (maybe).

ETA: Yes, the wording is correct

 

[laurie31]

They are wanting her to learn to set up an equation to figure this out. But as several posters have noted, the question is mis-worded. I'm sure it means to ask what fraction of the students overall. Otherwise it would be a logic problem instead of an algebra problem. lol

It's 1/4 x 1/3 = 1/12

(read aloud: one fourth of one third equals one twelvth.)

the student needs to learn that "of" translates to multiplication.

 

[simba20]

They are wanting her to learn to set up an equation to figure this out. But as several posters have noted, the question is mis-worded. I'm sure it means to ask what fraction of the students overall. Otherwise it would be a logic problem instead of an algebra problem. lol

It's 1/4 x 1/3 = 1/12

(read aloud: one fourth of one third equals one twelvth.)

the student needs to learn that "of" translates to multiplication.

This.
x is the amount of girls total in the class. y is the subset girls who want to join the circus out of the main set of the total amount of girls.

so......
x of y or rather x(y). In algebra paraenthesis mean multiplication. So x time y or 1/4(1/3)=1/12

 

[allyphoe]

the student needs to learn that "of" translates to multiplication.

Yep. I nearly failed 6th grade math before my mom clued me in that "of" always means "times" and "is" means "equals."

 

[Mom21]

[Yes it does say "of", but it says of all girls which is 1/4. I think it meant to say of all students in his class. That answer would be 1/12. However still worded poorly as it doesn't address if any boys want to join.

 

[wellesleyprincess]

Math teacher (4-6 grade) chiming in

When the word of is involved in fractions or percents it means to multiply. For example 1/2 of 17 acutually means 1/2 x 17.

As a result the problem is asking you to multiply 1/3 by 1/4 for an answer of 1/12.

 

[Allison]

The answer is 1/4. It asks how many of the girls want to join. 1/12 is the answer for the entire class not just the girls. Either a trick question or worded incorrectly.

 

[Mom loves Disney]

Thanks, we put down 1/4 praying maybe it's a trick question. The thing is several were worded wrong and it's for a grade. I hate doing make-up work. Makes you want to send your child even though they are sick. Thanks for the replies.

 

[mnrose]

I'll bet it is 1/4. If they say the answer is 1/12, then it's plainly a mistake. 1/12 of the total number of students wants to do chorus (1/4 times 1/3), but it's 1/4 of the girls in the class.

 

[Magpie]

I'm tutoring a student in pre-algebra this year.

When I hit a problem that seems to be either a typo or a trick question, I encourage my math student to write both solutions.

In Mr. Sander's class 1/3 of the students are girls. About 1/4 of the girls want to join the chorus. What Fraction of all girls in Mr. Sanders class want to join chorus.

A. Trick question: 1/4 of all girls in Mr. Sander's class want to join chorus.

B. Typo: If the question really is what fraction of Mr. Sander's entire class consists of girls-who-want-to-join-chorus, then this is the answer...

1/3 of 1/4. Which is 1/3 x 1/4, which equals 1/12.

1/12 of Mr. Sander's class are girls who want to join chorus.

When you're doing a problem for marks, then you should ALWAYS cover all your bases. Don't just pick one or the other. Odds are your teacher isn't going to waste her time figuring out if your solution could possibly be right - she's just going down an answer sheet and putting x's if it doesn't match and checks if it does.

 

[laurie31]

I was just wondering - was it a typo, or a trick question?

 

[Mom loves Disney]

It was a typo. We got the paper back today. She just ommited that one for grading.