Fraction word Problem

[vortex705]

The problem is...

One-fifth of the cars in a parking lot are blue and 1/2 of the blue cars are convertibles. If 1/4 of the convertibles in the parking lot are blue, then what percent of the cars in the lot are neither blue nor convertibles? (the answer is .375 or 3/8)

Let x= total number of cars in the parking lot
1/5x = Blue
1/2 (1/5x) = Blue Convertibles

Please help.

 

[Deleted member 4993]

The problem is...

One-fifth of the cars in a parking lot are blue and 1/2 of the blue cars are convertibles. If 1/4 of the convertibles in the parking lot are blue, then what percent of the cars in the lot are neither blue nor convertibles? (the answer is .375 or 3/8)

If this (percent) is what they asked and that (fraction) is what they gave as answers - then they are incorrect.

Let x= total number of cars in the parking lot
1/5x = Blue

1/2 (1/5x) = Blue Convertibles

Please help.

Amount of convertibles = 4 * (blue convertible) = 4x/10

Amount of (not blue) and (not convertible) = x - x/5 - 4x/10 + x/10

Anyway, my fraction answer does not match with the given fraction answer. May be somebody else will have a different interpretation.

 

[tkhunny]

First, work on your notation.

1/5x is not the same as (1/5)x

Second, draw a 4x4 grid, just to keep things organized.

Skip the upper left corner and add column labels "Blue", "Not Blue", "Row Totals"
Skip the upper left corner and add row labels "Convertible", "Not Convertible", "Column Totals"
Put a one (1) in the lower right corner.

Each clue should suggest how to fill in one cell on this grid. After that, you get to think about filling in the missing cells.

Note: I don't get 3/8, either.