MATH HELP PLEASE

Question

A school play is being produced at a School. For every 3 boys working there are 6 girls working. ⅛ of the girls and ⅓ of the boys are working on building the set. Which of the following numbers could represent the total number of students who are working on the play?

Answer 1

If 1 / 8 of the girls are set building, then the total number of girls must be a multiple or 8. If for every 6 girls there are 3 boys, then the total number of girls must be a multiple of 8 also. What is that number?

Answer 2

3x8+6x8= 24+48=72 = total students working

g=2b

48=2x24

total students = 3x24+8x48= 72b+384g= 456

72/3=24 b

384/8=48g

A or B, 72 or 9

3b+6g= 9 total working

then 3x3+6x8= 9+48=57 total students

possibilities are 9, 18, 27, 36, ... 72 ... multiples of 9

6b+12g= 18 total working

9b+18g = 27 total working

and infinite number of possibilities

but 11 and 19 are not divisible by 9

there's something suspicious about the wording of the problem though.

as written the 1/8 and 1/3 fractions are irrelevant, which seems unlikely.

sometimes the problem is figuring out what the problem is asking.

so maybe the problem was originally intended to ask what was the

total number of students, not the total number of working students

If so, go with 72

72 is divisible by 9, by 8, and by 3

9 is not divisible by 8

so 72 is the safer answer, but as written the problem could have 72 or 9 as correct

Yet the problem seems to be asking for just one answer, not multiple answers

Answer 3

Hi Cece,

In line with Mark and Raymond wrote, but simplified in light of the answer choices you provided.

Total number of boys: B = 3x

Total number of girls: G = 6x

Total number : B+G = 9x.

Now you know that from your answer choices you are looking for a multiple of 9- this leaves you with only 72 and 9.

Thus, x could be either 8 or 1.

Now, you also know that number of students building the set is: 1/8 G + 1/3 B

This tells you that the number of girls is a multiple of 8. You already knew that the number of boys is a multiple of 3.

Your only answer choice is then 72.

To check, this means x = 8

and then number of boys B = 24 and number of girls G = 48