Quote:
Originally Posted by mathscat idiot QUESTION 1
A man bought a laptop and a digital camera. He paid $2400 in all.If the digital camera cost 20% of the cost of the laptop,how much did he pay for the laptop? |
It's probably easy for you, too. You are just confusing yourself. I see from your other problem workings that you are rather haphazard about it. Be more deliberate and organized. I'll do the whole thing for free since you very niclely showed your work on the other one.
Rule #1 - Name Stuff!
Question #1 - Name What?
Answer #1 - What does it want? Name that.
"how much did he pay for the laptop?"
Perfect
L = How much he paid for the laptop
There is also a camera in there. Fine.
C = How much he paid for the camera.
Now translate...
"He paid $2400 in all"
Fine.
L + C = $2400 <== Make sure you see how this was translated.
"the digital camera cost 20% of the cost of the laptop"
C = (20%)*L <== Make sure you see how this was translated.
or
C = L*(0.20) <== You should be able to do such conversion in your sleep.
Now solve, oftentimes by simple substitution.
L + C = $2400
Substitute
L + (L*(0.20)) = $2400
Combine like terms
L(1.20) = $2400
Divide
L = $2400/1.20
L = $2000
C = L*(0.20) = ($2000)*0.20 = $400
Check
L + C = $2400
Substitute
$2000 + $400 = $2400 -- Perfect
One more thing. Go
REread the question and make sure we answered everthing it wanted. If we answered a little more than it asked, that might be fine. You would want to avoid that on a timed examination, but here it is good practice.
Notice how organized this is. Thoughts go down on the paper. Do NOT try to do it all in your head. Do NOT skip steps. Do NOT give in to the temptation to avoid writing each step and each thought. Let the notation help you.
Show us another one with some process improvements.