The ratio of happy students was 5 to 2. If 728 students were enrolled in the school, how many were happy?

Question

The ratio of happy students was 5 to 2. If 728 students were enrolled in the school, how many were happy?

Answer 1

Hi Dayn W

You can set up a direct ratio with the information given

5 to 2 indicates a total of (5 + 2) or 7 and we know that for every 7 students, 5 are happy and 2 are not

5/7 = x/728

Now just cross multiply to solve for x

Give it a try

Answer 2

For this question, you can set up a system of equations. Let H be number of happy students and N be the number of students that are not happy. Since you know the size of the school is 728, you have one equation that says H + N = 728. The next equation comes from the ratio you're given. Since the ratio of H / N = 5 / 2, you can rearrange that equation to get 5N = 2H. From that point on you can solve the system however you want (the answer is 520 happy students.)