Math Is Fun Forum

CherryDrop

Member

Registered: 2011-02-16

Posts: 2

Help with a maths conundrum homework

Hello - i have a problem to solve for my homework but i am not sure how to do it.  Can anyone tell me how i work this out please.

Jane and John have 48 oranges between them.  Jane has 5 times more oranges than John.  How many oranges does John have?

Thank you very much,

Bob

Administrator

Registered: 2010-06-20

Posts: 10,649

Re: Help with a maths conundrum homework

hi Cherrydrop

How are you with algebra?

I'd do this problem like this:

Let's say Jane has 'x' oranges.  Then John must have (48 - x) oranges.  (Takes Janes number from the total of 48.)

Also Jane has 5 times as many so if you take John's number and times by 5 you get Janes number.

5(48-x) = x

Can you solve this?  ie find x?

If you cannot do the algebra then trial and improvement will get you to an answer.

eg guess that x = 10.  So Jane has 10 and John has 2.  But that doesn't add up to 48, so try a bigger guess.

I've just re-read the problem.  When you get x, don't forget the question is how many has John got, not Jane.

I did think of re-working the problem starting with "Let's say John has ......" but I think the calculations are a bit harder this way round, so I'm sticking to my first version.

Bob

Last edited by Bob (2011-02-16 07:38:27)

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Children are not defined by school ...........The Fonz
You cannot teach a man anything;  you can only help him find it within himself..........Galileo Galilei
Sometimes I deliberately make mistakes, just to test you!  …………….Bob

CherryDrop

Member

Registered: 2011-02-16

Posts: 2

Re: Help with a maths conundrum homework

Thank you Bob.  I didn't think of it as algebra and now that you have said that, i've worked it out as:

1x + 5x = 6x

48 / 6 = 8

John has 8 oranges.

Thank you very much.

Bob

Administrator

Registered: 2010-06-20

Posts: 10,649

Re: Help with a maths conundrum homework

hi CherryDrop

You are welcome.

And I see you made up your own equation.  Excellent!!  Gold star!

:)

Bob

Last edited by Bob (2011-02-16 09:22:00)

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Children are not defined by school ...........The Fonz
You cannot teach a man anything;  you can only help him find it within himself..........Galileo Galilei
Sometimes I deliberately make mistakes, just to test you!  …………….Bob