Amy just got paid from her part-time job working as a sales assistant in a clothing store. Her paycheque for two weeks was $1500. Her friend Sara asked her how much does she spend on her outfits, Amy answered "I don't know how much exactly but the money I spent on clothes is half of the money I spent on my food and rent, and I already spent all of the money I got from my current paycheque." How much did Amy spend on her outfits? Modern Solution: Let x be how much Amy spent on her outfits.
x+2x=1500
3x=1500
x=500
False Position: Let x be how much Amy spent on her outfits.
Try x=100, x+2x=100+200=300
We need the answer 1500, which is 5 times as big as the current answer, so x must be 5 times as big as the trial number. (100*5=500)
Check: If x=500, x+2x=500+1000=1500
Good work on this, but it is important to notice that the method of false position was used when there was a fraction with a variable in the numerator. The question you've made is a little too simple -- just 3x=1500 -- so it could be done by division, without involving false position.
ReplyDeleteCould you add and solve another problem that involves at least one fraction with a variables, and let me know you've added it for full marks on this post? Thanks!