[SPLIT] how to find three times given amount

[scoub]

help w/word problem

Hi. I'm trying to help my 5th grader with this problem...Dad's not home and I can't explain it.

The problem is: The dunking booth had one third the number of visitors as the ring toss. If the dunking booth had 45 visitors, how many did the ring toss have?

I think its done like:

1/3n + n = 45

1/3 somehow comes over to =45 * 3/1 = 135 visitors

I can't explain why this all happens. I know how to get the answer but can't explain it to my 5th grader??? Help

 

[stapel]

If the one has one-third of the other's number, then the other has three times the one's number. So how would one find three times a given amount?

Eliz.