a company reports that two-fifths of its employees are women. If there are 90 employees, how many are women?

Question

How do I solve this word problem about percentages?

 

Answer 1

 

The best way to set up the ratio is 2/5 = x/90, where x is the number of women.

 

Then cross-multiply: 2 * 90 = 5x

 

Divide both side by 5 : 180/5 = x

 

solution is 36 = x

 

You can also convert 2/5 into a decimal:  .40 

 

This converts to 40 percent: .40 * 100 = 40%

 

90 * .4  =  x

 

36 = x