Word Problem: find fraction of take-home that was saved

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mcheytan

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Jan 25, 2008
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Alice's take home pay last year was same each month. The total money saved was 3times the money she did not save. If all money she saved last year was from take-home pay, what fraction of the take-home pay did she save?

Please help...how am I supposed to find this...
I was thinking:
X=money she did not save
3X=money she did save
12months per year
total=4x
per month=4x/12.....
 
Re: Word Problem

There's kind of a smoke screen with this one. Do we really care about the whole year vs. just one month?

X = Not Saved
3X = Saved
X + 3X = 4X = Total Pay

Saved / Total = 3X/4X = 3/4 <== X doesn't matter, 12 doesn't matter.
 
Re: Word Problem

So how do I find the fraction of take-home pay Alice DID SAVE, using the information above...
 
Re: Word Problem

mcheytan said:
So how do I find the fraction of take-home pay Alice DID SAVE, using the information above...
Click to expand...

tkhunny said:
...
X = Not Saved
3X = Saved
X + 3X = 4X = Total Pay

Saved / Total = 3X/4X = 3/4
Click to expand...
 
I am sorry, the question is "What fraction of money DID she save EACH MONTH?"
And the answer I should be getting is ...1/5.... :cry:
 
mcheytan said:
I am sorry, the question is "What fraction of money DID she save EACH MONTH?"
And the answer I should be getting is ...1/5.... :cry:
Click to expand...
Not from the information you have provided with the question.

Did you post the exact question (I see added "each month" above - however as tkhunny explained that should not matter given the problem statement).
 
Alice's take home pay last year was same each month. The total money saved was 3times the money she did not save. If all money she saved last year was from take-home pay, what fraction of the take-home pay did she save EACH MONTH?

This is the precise question as stated.
The answer should be 1/5 of the montly take-home money Alice saved.
 
Who says? Answers can be wrong.

You have tkhunny, skeeter, and subhotosh kahn. Personally, I would file that under "Sufficiently Authoritative" for most purposes discussed on this board. Your initial response was also very close until the "each month" part confused you.

If the author wishes to support that answer, there will have to be a clear demonstration. So far, the answer and the problem statement are not particularly related. There is no value in typing the problem again or insisting that "each month" has anything to do with it. Either the answer is wrong or there need to be the clear demonstration.

I hardly can wait.
 
Use a bit of logic, mcheytan.
If she saved 1/5 (as you say the answer is), then she did not save 4/5: so she did not save 4 times more than she saved;
BUT problem says: "The total money saved was 3 times the money she did not save."
So problem should say: The total money she did not save was 4 times the money she saved. Kapish?
 
Thanks you guys, I am just trying to figure this out, because there is no demonstration, just an answer that I have. This is part of GMAT software and I did not think they would have a wrong answer, but it is afterall possible.
Thanks for the help!!!
:eek:
 
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