RAMON MAGSAYSAY MEMORIAL COLLEGES-MARBEL INC

Office of the College of Teacher Education

Purok Waling-Waling, Arellano Street, Koronadal City (9506)
Telephone/Fax No. 083-228-2880

100 types of word problem involving

Percentage, Age, Distance, Time, Speed,
Fraction, Ratio and Proportion

Subject: seminar on problem solving in Math

Teacher:
Vicente C. Garces

Prepared by:
Reyl G. Tianchon
 1. A store owner paid $120 wholesale price for a suit. He needs to make a 35% profit on
the sale of the suit. By how much should he mark-up the price of the suit to make his
desired profit?
What is 35% of $120?
Solution
X = 35
120 100
= 4,200
100x
X = $42 markup

2. Mrs. Smith earns $3500 a month. She saves $280 a month. Savings is what percent of
her income? Rephrase: $280 is what percent of $3500?
Solution
280 = x
3,500 100
28,000
3,500
= 8% of her income

3. Sales tax in a certain community is 7%. If the sales tax on a new car was $1400, what
was the selling price of the car? Rephrase: $1400 is 7% of what number?
Solution
1,400 = 7
X 100
= 140,000
7
=$20,000 is the selling price of the car

4. Mr. Jones receives 10% commission on each sale that he makes. He earned $450 last
week in commissions. How much were his sales? Rephrase: $450 is 10% of what
number?
Solution
450 = 10
X 100
45,000
10x
4,500 was the amount of his sales
 5. An organization has raised $4800 for a remodelling project. This is 60% of their goal.
What is their fundraising goal? Rephrase: $4800 is 60% of what number?
Solution
4,800 = 60
X 100
= 480,000
60x
= 8,000 fundraising goal

6. The price of gasoline rose from $3.50 to $3.71 in one week. By what percent did the gas
price rise? Rephrase: $.21 (the difference in price) is what percent of $3.50 (the original
price)?
Difference in price $3.71 - $3.50 = $.21
Solution
.21 = x
3.50 100
= 21
3.50x
= 6% rise in price

7. A coat was originally priced at $50. It went on sale for $35. What was the percent that
the coat was discounted? Rephrase: The discount (difference in price) is what percent of
the original price?
Difference in price $50 – 35 = $15
Solution
15 = x
50 100
= 1500
50x
30% discount

8. The price of parking for 2 hours or less at the airport is increasing from $2.50 to $5.00.
What is the percent that the price will increase? Rephrase: The increase (difference in
price) is what percent of the original price?
Difference in price $5.00 - $2.50 = $2.50
Solution
2.50 = x
2.50 100
250
2.50
= 100% price increase
9. The population of a town was 25,000 in the 2000 census and 30,000 in the 2010 census.
By what percent did the population increase? Rephrase: The increase (change) in
population is what percent of the original population?
Difference in population 30,000 – 25,000 = 5,000
Solution
5,000 = x
25,000 100
500,000
25,000
= 20% increase

10. A house was purchased in 2005 for $150,000. It is now valued at $135,000. What is the
rate (percent) of depreciation for the house? Rephrase: The decrease (difference) in
price is what percent of the original price?
Difference in price $150,000 - $135,000 = $15,000
Solution
15,000 = x
150,000 100
1,500,000
150,000
= 10 % depreciation
11. Alex is fourteen years old, and he is also nine years older than his sister Kristen. How old
is Kristen?
Let 𝐴 represent Alex’s age and let 𝐾 represent Kristen’s age. From the problem we can write
two equations:
𝐴 = 14; 𝐴 = 𝐾 + 9
Substitute 14 for 𝐴 into the second equation and solve for 𝐾:
14 = 𝐾 + 9; 14 − 9 = 𝐾 + 9 − 9; 𝐾 = 5
Kristen is 5 years old.
Answer: 5
12. Joe is nine years older than his brother Ed. If Ed is seventeen years old, how old is Joe?
Solution:
Let 𝐽 represent Joe’s age and let 𝐸 represent Ed’s age. From the problem we can write the
following equations:
𝐽 = 𝐸 + 9; 𝐸 = 17
Substitute 17 into the first equation for 𝐸 and solve for 𝐽:
𝐽 = 17 + 9; = 26
Joe is 26 years old.
Answer: 26
13. Dan is fourteen years older than Marge. Eight years ago, Dan was three times as old as
Marge. Find their present age.
Solution:
Let 𝐷 represent Dan’s age and let 𝑀 represent Marge’s age. From the problem we can write the
following equations:
𝐷 = 𝑀 + 14; 𝐷 − 9 = 3(𝑀 − 9)
Substitute 𝑀 + 14 into the second equation for 𝐷 and solve for 𝑀:
𝑀 + 14 − 8 = 3(𝑀 − 8)
𝑀 + 6 = 3𝑀 – 24
6 = 2𝑀 – 24
30 = 2𝑀
𝑀 = 15
Use 𝑀 = 15 and solve for 𝐷:
𝐷 = 𝑀 + 14 = 15 + 14 = 29
Marge is 15 years old and Dan is 29 years old.
Answer: Dan: 29; Marge: 15
14. Jean is six years older than her brother Wayne. Three years from now, the sum of their
ages will be thirty-eight. Find their present ages.
Solution:
Let 𝐽 represent Jean’s age and let 𝑊 represent Wayne’s age. From the problem we can write
the following equations:
𝐽 = 𝑊 + 6; 𝐽 + 3 + 𝑊 + 3 = 38
Substitute 𝑊 + 6 into the second equation for 𝐽 and solve for 𝑊:
𝑊 + 6 + 3 + 𝑊 + 3 = 38
2𝑊 + 12 = 38
2𝑊 = 26
𝑊 = 13
Use 𝑊 = 13 and solve for 𝐽:
𝐽 = 𝑊 + 6 = 13 + 6 = 19
Jean is 19 years old and Wayne is 13 years old.
Answer: Jean: 19; Wayne: 13
15. Nine years from now, Jack will be three times as old as he was eleven years ago. How
old is he now?
Solution:
Let 𝐽 represent Jack’s age. From the problem we can write the following equation:
𝐽 + 9 = 3(𝐽 − 11)
Solve for 𝐽:
𝐽 + 9 = 3𝐽 – 33
9 = 2𝐽 – 33
42 = 2𝐽
𝐽 = 21
Answer: 21
16. Andy is seven years older than his wife Lori. If Andy and Lori’s ages add up to fifty-one,
how old are Andy and Lori?
Solution:
Let 𝐴 represent Andy’s age and let 𝐿 represent Lori’s age. From the problem we can write the
following equations:
𝐴 = 𝐿 + 7; 𝐴 + 𝐿 = 51
Substitute 𝐿 + 7 into the second equation for 𝐴 and solve for 𝐿:
𝐿 + 7 + 𝐿 = 51
2𝐿 + 7 = 51
2𝐿 = 44 𝐿 = 22
Use 𝐿 = 22 and solve for 𝐴:
𝐴 = 𝐿 + 7 = 22 + 7 = 29
Andy is 29 years old and Lori is 22 years old.
Answer: Andy: 29; Lori: 22
17. Alex is fourteen years old, and he is also nine years older than his sister Kristen. How old
is Kristen?
Solution:
Let 𝐴 represent Alex’s age and let 𝐾 represent Kristen’s age. From the problem we can write
two equations:
𝐴 = 14; 𝐴 = 𝐾 + 9
Substitute 14 for 𝐴 into the second equation and solve for 𝐾:
14 = 𝐾 + 9; 14 − 9 = 𝐾 + 9 − 9; 𝐾 = 5
Kristen is 5 years old.
Answer: 5
18. Mark is six years younger than his sister Teri. If Teri is thirty-seven years old, how old is
Mark?
Solution:
Let 𝑀 represent Mark’s age and let 𝑇 represent Teri’s age. From the problem we can write the
following equations:
𝑀 = 𝑇 − 6; 𝑇 = 37
Substitute 37 into the first equation for 𝑇 and solve for 𝑀:
𝑀 = 37 − 6; 𝑀 = 31
Mark is 31 years old.
Answer: 31
19. Vicki is eleven years older than Chuck. Five years from now, Vicki will be twice as old as
Chuck. Find their present age.
Solution:
Let 𝑉 represent Vicki’s age and let 𝐶 represent Chuck’s age. From the problem we can write the
following equations:
 𝑉 = 𝐶 + 11; 𝑉 + 5 = 2(𝐶 + 5)
Substitute 𝐶 + 11 into the second equation for 𝑉 and solve for 𝐶:
𝐶 + 11 + 5 = 2(𝐶 + 5)
𝐶 + 16 = 2𝐶 + 10
16 = 𝐶 + 10
6=𝐶
Use 𝐶 = 6 and solve for 𝑉:
𝑉 = 𝐶 + 11 = 6 + 11 = 17
Vicki is 17 years old and Chuck is 6 years old.
Answer: Vicki: 17; Chuck: 6
20. Andy is nine years older than his sister Jenny. Five years from now, the sum of their ages
will be forty-three. Find their present ages.
Solution:
Let 𝐴 represent Andy’s age and let 𝐽 represent Jenny’s age. From the problem we can write the
following equations:
𝐴 = 𝐽 + 9; 𝐴 + 5 + 𝐽 + 5 = 43
Substitute 𝐽 + 9 into the second equation for 𝐴 and solve for 𝐽:
𝐽 + 9 + 5 + 𝐽 + 5 = 43
2𝐽 + 19 = 43
2𝐽 = 24
𝐽 = 12
Use 𝐽 = 12 and solve for 𝐴:
𝐴 = 𝐽 + 9 = 12 + 9 = 21
Andy is 21 years old and Jenny is 12 years old. Answer:
Andy: 21; Jenny: 12
21. Seven years from now, Monte will be three times as old as she was fifteen years ago.
How old is she now?
Solution:
Let 𝑀 represent Monte’s age. From the problem we can write the following equation:
𝑀 + 7 = 2(𝑀 − 15)
Solve for 𝑀:
𝑀 + 7 = 2𝑀 − 30
7 = 𝑀 − 30
𝑀 = 37
Answer: 37
22. Myron is three years older than his wife Denise. If Myron and Denise’s ages add up to
sixty-five, how old are Myron and Denise?
Solution:
Let 𝑀 represent Myron’s age and let 𝐷 represent Denise’s age. From the problem we can write
the following equations:
𝑀 = 𝐷 + 3; 𝑀 + 𝐷 = 65
Substitute 𝐷 + 3 into the second equation for 𝑀 and solve for 𝐷:
𝐷 + 3 + 𝐷 = 65
2𝐷 + 3 = 65
 2𝐷 = 62
𝐷 = 31
Use 𝐷 = 31 and solve for 𝑀:
𝑀 = 𝐷 + 3 = 31 + 3 = 34
Myron is 34 years old and Denise is 31 years old.
Answer: Myron: 34; Denise: 31
23. Mike is seventy-one years old, and he is also twenty-eight years older than his daughter
Kim. How old is Kim?
Solution:
Let 𝑀 represent Mike’s age and let 𝐾 represent Kim’s age. From the problem we can write two
equations:
𝑀 = 71; 𝑀 = 𝐾 + 28
Substitute 71 for 𝑀 into the second equation and solve for 𝐾:
71 = 𝐾 + 28; 71 − 28 = 𝐾 + 28 − 28; 𝐾 = 43
Kim is 43 years old.
Answer: 43
24. Anika is five years older than her brother Shane. If Shane is twenty-five years old, how
old is Anika?
Solution:
Let 𝐴 represent Anika’s age and let 𝑆 represent Shane’s age. From the problem we can write
the following equations:
𝐴 = 𝑆 + 5; 𝑆 = 25
Substitute 25 into the first equation for 𝑆 and solve for 𝐴:
𝐴 = 25 + 5; = 30
Anika is 30 years old.
Answer:
25. Sam is twenty-six years older than Brian. Eight years from now, Sam will be three times
as old as Brian. Find their present age.
Solution:
Let 𝑆 represent Sam’s age and let 𝐵 represent Brian’s age. From the problem we can write the
following equations:
𝑆 = 𝐵 + 26; 𝑆 + 8 = 3(𝐵 + 8)
Substitute 𝐵 + 26 into the second equation for 𝑆 and solve for 𝐵:
𝐵 + 26 + 8 = 3(𝐵 + 8)
𝐵 + 34 = 3𝐵 + 24
34 = 2𝐵 + 24
10 = 2𝐵
𝐵=5
Use 𝐵 = 5 and solve for 𝑆:
𝑆 = 𝐵 + 26 = 5 + 26 = 31
Sam is 31 years old and Brian is 5 years old.
Answer: Sam: 31.
26. Paul is eight years older his wife Lisa. Twenty years ago, the sum of their ages was
twenty-four. Find their present ages.
Solution:
Let 𝑃 represent Paul’s age and let 𝐿 represent Lisa’s age. From the problem we can write the
following equations:
𝑃 = 𝐿 + 8; 𝑃 − 20 + 𝐿 − 20 = 24
Substitute 𝐿 + 8 into the second equation for 𝑃 and solve for 𝐿:
𝐿 + 8 − 20 + 𝐿 − 20 = 24
2𝐿 − 32 = 24
2𝐿 = 56
𝐿 = 28
Use 𝐿 = 28 and solve for 𝑃:
𝑃 = 𝐿 + 8 = 28 + 8 = 36
Paul is 36 years old and Lisa is 28 years old.
Answer: Paul: 36; Lisa: 28
27. Eleven years from now, Nicholas will be three times as old as he was twenty-five years
ago. How old is he now?
Solution:
Let 𝑁 represent Nicholas’s age. From the problem we can write the following equation:
𝑁 + 11 = 3(𝑁 − 25) Solve for 𝑁:
𝑁 + 11 = 3𝑁 − 75
11 = 2𝑁 – 75
2𝑁 = 86
𝑁 = 43
Answer: 43
28. Jim is four years older than his sister Kathy. If Jim and Kathy’s ages add up to fifty-four,
how old are Jim and Kathy?
Solution:
Let 𝐽 represent Jim’s age and let 𝐾 represent Kathy’s age. From the problem we can write the
following equations:
𝐽 = 𝐾 + 4; 𝐽 + 𝐾 = 54
Substitute 𝐾 + 4 into the second equation for 𝐽 and solve for 𝐾:
𝐾 + 4 + 𝐾 = 54
2𝐾 + 4 = 54
2𝐾 = 40
𝐾 = 25
Use 𝐾 = 25 and solve for 𝐽:
𝐽 = 𝐾 + 4 = 25 + 4 = 29
Jim is 29 years old and Kathy is 25 years old.
Answer: Jim: 29; Kathy: 25
29. John is sixty-one years old, and he is also five years older than his wife Stacey. How old is
Stacey?
Solution:
Let 𝐽 represent John’s age and let 𝑆 represent Stacey’s age. From the problem we can write
two equations:
𝐽 = 61; 𝐽 = 𝑆 + 5
Substitute 61 for 𝐽 into the second equation and solve for 𝑆:
61 = 𝑆 + 5; 61 − 5 = 𝑆 + 5 − 5; 𝑆 = 56
Stacey is 56 years old.
Answer: 56
30. Paul is twenty-two years older than his daughter Jessica. If Jessica is forty-four years
old, how old is Paul?
Solution:
Let 𝑃 represent Paul’s age and let 𝐽 represent Jessica’s age. From the problem we can write the
following equations:
𝑃 = 𝐽 + 22; 𝐽 = 44
Substitute 44 into the first equation for 𝐽 and solve for 𝑃:
𝑃 = 44 + 22; = 66
Paul is 66 years old.
Answer: 66
31. What number is 15% of 63?
We translate the sentence into an equation as follows: What number is 15% of 63?
n = 0.15 · 63
To do arithmetic with percents, we have to change percents to decimals. Solving the equation,
we have: n = 0.15 · 63
n = 9.45
15% of 63 is 9.45
32. What percent of 42 is 21?
We translate the sentence into an equation as follows:
What percent of 42 is 21?
n · 42 = 21
We solve for n by dividing both sides by 42.
N . 42 = 21
42 42
N = 21
42
N = 0.50
Since the original problem asked for a percent, we change 0.50 to a percent.
R = 0.50 = 50%
21 is 50% of 42
33. 25 is 40% of what number?
We translate the sentence into an equation as follows: 25 is 40% of what number?
Solution
25 = 0.40 x n
0.40 0.40
25 = n
0.40
6.25 = n
25 is 40% of 62.5
 34. On a 120-question test, a student got 96 correct answers. What percent of the problems
did the student work correctly? The problem states that we have 96 correct answers out
of a possible 120. The problem can be restated as: 96 is what percent of 120?
Solution
96 = n . 120
120 120
96 = n
120
0.80 = n
N = 80%
The test score was 80%.
35. How much HCI (hydrochloric acid) is in a 60-milliliter bottle that is marked 80% HCI?
If the bottle is marked 80% HCI, that means that 80% of the solution is HCI and the rest is
water. Since the bottle contains 60 milliliters, we can restate the question as:
What is 80% of 60?
n= 0.80 · 60
n = 48
There are 48 milliliters of HCI in 60 milliliters of 80% HCI solution.
36. If 48% of the students in a certain college are female and there are 2,400 female
students, what is the total number of students in the college?
We restate the problem as: 2,400 is 48% of what number?
2400 = 0.48 x n
2400 = 0.48n
0.48 0.48
n = 5,000
There are 5,000 students.
37. If 25% of the students in elementary algebra courses receive a grade of A, and there are
300 students enrolled in elementary algebra this year, how many students will receive
an A?
We restate the problem as: What number is 25% of 300?
n = 0.25 · 300
n = 75
So, 75 students will receive A’s in elementary algebra.
38. There are 50 students in a class. If 14% are absent on a particular day, find the number
of students present in the class.
Solution:   
Number of students absent on a particular day = 14 % of 50
14/100 × 50 = 7
Therefore, the number of students present = 50 - 7 = 43 students
39. In an examination, 300 students appeared. Out of these students; 28 % got first division,
54 % got second division and the remaining just passed. Assuming that no student
failed; find the number of students who just passed.
Solution:
The number of students with first division
28 % of 300
= 28/100 × 300
= 8400/100
= 84
The number of students with second division
= 54 % of 300
= 54/100 × 300
=16200/100
= 162
Therefore, the number of students who just passed = 300 – (84 + 162)
= 54

40. In an election, candidate A got 75% of the total valid votes. If 15% of the total votes
were declared invalid and the total numbers of votes is 560000, find the number of valid
vote polled in favour of candidate.

Solution:
Total number of invalid votes = 15 % of 560000
= 15/100 × 560000
= 8400000/100
= 84000
Total number of valid votes 560000 – 84000 = 476000

41. Martha spent   of her allowance on food and shopping. What fraction of her allowance
had she left?
Solution:

She had   of her allowance left.

42. Sam had 120 teddy bears in his toy store. He sold   of them at $12 each. How much did
he receive?
Find the number of teddy bears sold.

He sold 80 teddy bears.

 Find how much money he received.
80 × 12 = 960
He received $960.
43. 4/7 of a number is 84. Find the number.
Solution:
According to the problem,
4/7 of a number = 84
Number = 84 × 7/4
[Here we need to multiply 84 by the reciprocal of 4/7]
= 81 x 7/4
= 21 × 7
= 147
Therefore, the number is 147
44. One half of the students in a school are girls, 3/5 of these girls are studying in lower
classes. What fraction of girls are studying in lower classes?
Solution:
Fraction of girls studying in school = 1/2
Fraction of girls studying in lower classes = 3/5 of 1/2
= 3/5 × 1/2
= 3 × 1/5 × 2
= 3/10
Therefore, 3/10 of girls studying in lower classes.
45. Maddy reads three-fifth of 75 pages of his lesson. How many more pages he need to
complete the lesson?
Solution:
Maddy reads = 3/5 of 75
= 3/5 × 75
= 3/15
= 45 pages.
Maddy has to read = 75 – 45.
= 30 pages.
Therefore, Maddy has to read 30 more pages.
46. A herd of cows gives 4 litres of milk each day. But each cow gives one-third of total milk
each day. They give 24 litres milk in six days. How many cows are there in the herd?
Solution:
A herd of cows gives 4 litres of milk each day.
Each cow gives one-third of total milk each day = 1/3 of 4
Therefore, each cow gives 4/3 of milk each day.
Total no. of cows
= 4 ÷ 4/3
 = 4 × ¾
=3
Therefore there are 3 cows in the herd.
47. 2/9 of the people on a restaurant are adults. If there are 95 more children than adults,
how many children are there in the restaurant?
Solution:
Draw a diagram with 9 equal parts: 2 parts to represent the adults and 7 parts to represent the
children.
5 units = 95
1 unit = 95 ÷ 5 = 19
7 units = 7 × 19 = 133
Answer: There are 133 children in the restaurant
48. Gary and Henry brought an equal amount of money for shopping. Gary spent $95 and
Henry spent $350. After that Henry had 4/7 of what Gary had left. How much money did
Gary have left after shopping?
Solution:
350 – 95 = 255
3 units = 255
1 unit = 255 ÷ 3 = 85
7 units = 85 × 7 = 595
Answer: Gary has $595 after shopping.
49. 1/9 of the shirts sold at Peter’s shop are striped. 5/8 of the remainder are printed. The
rest of the shirts are plain colored shirts. If Peter’s shop has 81 plain colored shirts, how
many more printed shirts than plain colored shirts does the shop have?
Solution:
Draw a diagram with 9 parts. One part represents striped shirts. Out of the remaining 8 parts: 5
parts represent the printed shirts and 3 parts represent plain colored shirts.
3 units = 81
1 unit = 81 ÷ 3 = 27
Printed shirts have 2 parts more than plain shirts.
2 units = 27 × 2 = 54
Answer: Peter’s shop has 54 more printed colored shirts than plain shirts.

50. If   of a sum of money is $21, what is the sum of money?
Solution:
1 unit = 21
3 units = 21 × 3 = 63
Answer:
The sum of money is $63
51. 3/5 of a group of children were girls. If there were 24 girls, how many children were
there in the group?
Solution:
3 units = 24
1 unit = 24 ÷ 3 = 8
5 units = 5 × 8 = 40
Answer:
There were 40 children in the group.

52. Bill had some stamps. He gave  of them to Tim. If he gave 14 stamps to Tim, how many
stamps had Bill at first?
Solution:
2 units = 14
1 unit = 7
5 units = 7 × 5 = 35
Answer:
Bill originally had 35 stamps.

53. Lionel bought 30 pizzas and burgers altogether.   of the food bought were pizzas. How
many burgers did he buy?
Solution:
5 units = 30
1 unit = 6
3 units = 3 × 6 = 18
Answer:
He bought 18 burgers.
54. A recipe needs 3/4 teaspoon black pepper and 1/4 teaspoon red pepper. How much
more black pepper does the recipe need?
Solution:
3/4 - 1/4 = 2/4 = ½
The black pepper is 1/2 of a teaspoon more than the red pepper.
55. A football player advances 2/3 of a yard. A second player in the same team advances 5/4
of a yard. How much more yard did the second player advance?
Again, we need to perform subtraction to solve this problem.
Solution
5/4 - 2/3 = 15/12 - 8/12 = 7/12
6/12 is equal to 1/2, so 7/12 is just a bit more than half.
So, the second player advanced by about half of a yard more.
To be more precise though, you can say that the second player advanced by 7/12 of a yard
more than the first player.
56. John lives 3/8 mile from the Museum of Science. Sylvia leaves 1/4 mile from the
Museum of Science. How much closer is Sylvia from the museum?
Solution:
The fact that the word problem is saying how much closer Sylvia is, is an indication that 1/4 is
smaller than 3/8.
3/8 - 1/4 = 3/8 - 2/8 = 1/8
Sylvia is closer to the library by 1/8 mile.
You can also say that John is further away by 1/8 mile.
57. Maria caught shrimp that weighted 4 2/3 pounds. If she gave 3 1/6 pounds to his
friends, how much shrimp did she have left?
Solution
In order to find out how much shrimp Maria is left with, we need to do the following
subtraction.
4 2/3 - 3 1/6
4 2/3 - 3 1/6 = (4 - 3) + (2/3 - 1/6)
4 2/3 - 3 1/6 = 1 + (4/6 - 1/6)
4 2/3 - 3 1/6 = 1 + (3/6)
4 2/3 - 3 1/6 = 1 3/6 = 1 1/2
Maria has 1 1/2 pounds of shrimp left.
58. Jack jumped 4 1/7 m in a long jump competition. Shane jumped 3 2/9 m. Who jumped
longer and by how many metres?
Solution:
Jack jumped = 4 1/7 m = 29/7 m = 261/63 m
Shane jumped = 3 2/9 m = 29/9 m = 203/63 m
Because 261 > 203, so Jack jumped more.
Difference = 261/63 – 203/63
= 261 - 203/63
= 58/63 m
Thus, Jack jumped 58/63 m more than Shane
59. Mary gave 1/8 part of her money to Shelly. What fraction of money is left with her?
Solution:
The fraction of money given to Shelly = 1/8
The remaining fraction of money = 1 - 1/8
= 1/1 - 1/8
= 8/8 - 1/8
= 8 - 1/8
= 7/8
60. Rex had some money. He spent 1/6 of it on Monday, 3/8 on Thursday and ¼ on
Wednesday. What part of money is still left with him?
Solution:
Total part of money spent = 1/6 + 3/8 + ¼
= 1 × 4/6 × 4 + 3 × 3/8 × 3 + 1 × 6/4 × 6, (L.C.M. of 6, 8 and 4 = 24)
= 4/24 + 9/24 + 6/24
= 19/24
The part of money left with him = 1 – 19/24
= 1/1 - 19/24
= 24/24 - 19/24
= 24 - 19/24
= 5/24
61. If the bus is traveling at 50 mph and the car is traveling at 55 mph, in how many hours
will they be 210 miles apart?
Let t = time when they are 210 miles apart.
Solution:
Since the total distance is 210, we get the equation:
50t + 55t = 210
105t = 210
Isolate variable t
Answer: They will be 210 miles apart in 2 hours.
62. A salesman sold twice as much pears in the afternoon than in the morning. If he sold
360 kilograms of pears that day, how many kilograms did he sell in the morning and how
many in the afternoon?
Solution:
Let x be the number of kilograms he sold in the morning. Then in the afternoon he
sold 2x kilograms. So, the total is x + 2x = 3x. This must be equal to 360.
3x = 360
x =360
3
x = 120x=120
Therefore, the salesman sold 120 kg in the morning and 2⋅120=240 kg in the afternoon.
63. Mary, Peter, and Lucy were picking chestnuts. Mary picked twice as much chestnuts
than Peter. Lucy picked 2 kg more than Peter. Together the three of them picked 26 kg
of chestnuts. How many kilograms did each of them pick?
Solution:
Let x be the amount Peter picked. Then Mary and Lucy picked 2x and x+2, respectively. So
x+2x+x+2=26
4x=24
x=6
Therefore, Peter, Mary, and Lucy picked 6, 12, and 8 kg, respectively.
64. Sophia finished 2/3 of a book. She calculated that she finished 90 more pages than she
has yet to read. How long is her book?
Solution:
Let x be the total number of pages in the book, then she finished 2/3⋅x pages.
Then she has x – 2/3 . x = 1/3 . x pages left.
2/3 . x – 1/3 . x = 90
1/3 . x = 90
X = 270
So the book is 270 pages long.
65. A farming field can be ploughed by 6 tractors in 4 days. When 6 tractors work together,
each of them ploughs 120 hectares a day. If two of the tractors were moved to another
field, then the remaining 4 tractors could plough the same field in 5 days. How many
hectares a day would one tractor plough then?
Solution:
If each of 6 tractors ploughed 120 hectares a day and they finished the work in 4 days, then the
whole field is:120⋅6⋅4=720⋅4=2880 hectares.
Let's suppose that each of the four tractors ploughed x hectares a day. Therefore in 5 days they
ploughed
5⋅4⋅x=20⋅x hectares, which equals the area of the whole field, 2880 hectares.
So, we get 20x=2880
x=20/2880=144.
Hence, each of the four tractors would plough 144 hectares a day.
 66. A student chose a number, multiplied it by 2, then subtracted 138 from the result and
got 102. What was the number he chose?
Solution:
Let x be the number he chose, then
2⋅x−138=102
2x=240
x=120
67. I chose a number and divide it by 5. Then I subtracted 154 from the result and got 6.
What was the number I chose?
Solution:
Let x be the number I chose, then
x/5−154=6
x/5=160
x=800
68. The distance between two towns is 380 km. At the same moment, a passenger car and a
truck start moving towards each other from different towns. They meet 4 hours later. If
the car drives 5 km/hr faster than the truck, what are their speeds?
Solution:
The main idea used in this kind of problems is that the distance equals speed multiplied by time
S=V⋅t
V (km/hr) t (hr) S (km)
Car x+5 4 4(x +5)
Truck x 4 4x
4(x+5)+4x=380
4x + 4x = 380 – 20
8x = 360
x = 360
80
x = 45
Therefore the truck's speed is 45 km/hr, and the car's speed is 50 km/hr.
69. One side of a rectangle is 3 cm shorter than the other side. If we increase the length of
each side by 1 cm, then the area of the rectangle will increase by 18 cm2. Find the
lengths of all sides.
Solution:
Let x be the length of the longer side x>3, then the other side's length is 3x−3 cm. Then the area
is S1 = x(x - 3) cm2. After we increase the lengths of the sides they will become (x+1) and
(x−3+1)=(x−2) cm long. Hence the area of the new rectangle will be A2=(x+1)⋅(x−2) cm2, which
is 18 cm2 more than the first area. Therefore
2A1+18=A2
x(x−3)+18=(x+1)(x−2)
x2−3x+18=x2+x−2x−2
2x=20
x=10.
So, the sides of the rectangle are 10 cm and (10−3)=7 cm long.
70. The first year, two cows produced 8100 litres of milk. The second year their production
increased by 15% and 10% respectively, and the total amount of milk increased to 9100
litres a year. How many litres were milked from each cow each year?
Solution:
Let x be the amount of milk the first cow produced during the first year. Then the second cow
produced (8100−x) litres of milk that year. The second year, each cow produced the same
amount of milk as they did the first year plus the increase of 15% or 10%.
So 8100 + 15 . x + 10 . x (8100) – x ) = 9100
100 100
Therefore 8100 + 3 x + 1 (8100 - x) = 9100
20 10
x=3800
Therefore, the cows produced 3800 and 4300 litres of milk the first year,
and 4370 and 4730 litres of milk the second year, respectively
71. The distance between stations A and B is 148 km. An express train left station A towards
station B with the speed of 80 km/hr. At the same time, a freight train left station B
towards station A with the speed of 36 km/hr. They met at station C at 12 pm, and by
that time the express train stopped at at intermediate station for 10 min and the freight
train stopped for 5 min. Find:
a) The distance between stations C and B.
Solution
a) Let x be the distance between stations B and C. Then the distance from station C to station A
is (148−x) km. By the time of the meeting at station C, the express train travelled for 148 – x +
10 hours and the freight train travel 80
60
For x + 5 hours. The trains left at the same time, so 148 – x + 1 = x + 1 the
36 60 80 6 36 12
common denominator for 6, 12, 36, 80 is 720. Then
9(148−x)+120=20x+60
1332−9x+120=20x+60
29x=1392
x=48. Therefore the distance between stations B and C is 48 km.
72. To deliver an order on time, a company has to make 25 parts a day. After making 25
parts per day for 3 days, the company started to produce 5 more parts per day, and by
the last day of work 100 more parts than planned were produced. Find how many parts
the company made and how many days this took.
Solution:
Let x be the number of days the company worked. Then 25x is the number of parts they
planned to make. At the new production rate they made:
3⋅25+(x−3)⋅30=75+30(x−3)
Therefore: 
25x=75+30(x−3)−100
25x=75+30x−90−100
190−75=30x−25
115=5x
x=23
So the company worked 23 days and they made 23⋅25+100=675 piece
73. There are 24 students in a seventh grade class. They decided to plant birches and roses
at the school's backyard. While each girl planted 3 roses, every three boys planted 1
birch. By the end of the day they planted 24 plants. How many birches and roses were
planted?
Solution:
Let x be the number of roses. Then the number of birches is 24−x, and the number of boys
is 3×(24−x). If each girl planted 3 roses, there are x/3 girls in the class
We know that there are 24 students in the class. Therefore n x+3(24−x)=24
24x+9(24−x)=3⋅24
x+216−9x=72
216−72=8x
144 = x
8
x=18
So, students planted 18 roses and 24 - x = 24 - 18 = 6 birches.
74. If a farmer wants to plough a farm field on time, he must plough 120 hectares a day. For
technical reasons he ploughed only 85 hectares a day, hence he had to plough 2 more
days than he planned and he still has 40 hectares left. What is the area of the farm field
and how many days the farmer planned to work initially?
Solution:
Let x be the number of days in the initial plan. Therefore, the whole field is 120⋅x hectares. The
farmer had to work for x+2 days, and he ploughed 85(x+2) hectares, leaving 40 hectares
unploughed. Then we have the equation:
120x=85(x+2)+40
35x=210
x=6
So the farmer planned to have the work done in 6 days, and the area of the farm field
is 120⋅6=720 hectares.
75. A woodworker normally makes a certain number of parts in 24 days. But he was able to
increase his productivity by 5 parts per day, and so he not only finished the job in only
22 days but also he made 80 extra parts. How many parts does the woodworker
normally makes per day and how many pieces does he make in 24 days?
Solution:
Let x be the number of parts the woodworker normally makes daily. In 24 days he
makes 24⋅x pieces. His new daily production rate is x+5 pieces and in 22 days he
made 22⋅(x+5) parts. This is 80 more than 24⋅x. Therefore the equation is:
24⋅x+80=22(x+5)
30=2x
x=15
76. Normally he makes 15 parts a day and in 24 days he makes 15⋅24=360 parts.
A biker covered half the distance between two towns in 2 hr 30 min. After that he increased his
speed by 2 km/hr. He covered the second half of the distance in 2 hr 20 min. Find the distance
between the two towns and the initial speed of the biker.
Solution:
Let x km/hr be the initial speed of the biker, then his speed during the second part of the trip is
x + 2 km/hr. Half the distance between two cities equals 
2 30 . x km and 2 20 . (x+2) From the equation 2 30 . x = 2 20 (x+2) we get x=28 km/hr.
60 60 60 60
The initial speed of the biker is 28 km/h.
Half the distance between the two towns is
2h30min×28=2.5×28=70.
So the distance is 2×70=140 km
77. The distance between towns A and B is 300 km. One train departs from town A and
another train departs from town B, both leaving at the same moment of time and
heading towards each other. We know that one of them is 10 km/hr faster than the
other. Find the speeds of both trains if 2 hours after their departure the distance
between them is 40 km.
Solution:
Let the speed of the slower train be x km/hr. Then the speed of the faster train is (x+10) km/hr.
In 2 hours they cover 2x km and 2(x+10)km, respectively. Therefore if they didn't meet yet, the
whole distance from A to B is 2x+2(x+10)+40=4x+60 km. However, if they already met and
continued to move, the distance would be 2x+2(x+10)−40=4x−20km. So we get the following
equations:
4x+60=300
4x=240
x=60 or 4x−20=300
4x=320
x=80
Hence the speed of the slower train is 60 km/hr or 80 km/hr and the speed of the faster train
is 70 km/hr or 90 km/hr.
78. A farmer planned to plough a field by doing 120 hectares a day. After two
days of work he increased his daily productivity by 25% and he finished the job two
days ahead of schedule.
What is the area of the field?
First of all we will find the new daily productivity of the farmer in hectares per day: 25% of 120
hectares is 25/100⋅120=30 hectares, therefore 120+30=150 hectares is the new daily
productivity. Let x be the planned number of days allotted for the job. Then the farm
is 120⋅x hectares. On the other hand, we get the same area if we add 120⋅2 hectares to
150(x−4) hectares. Then we get the equation
120x=120⋅2+150(x−4)
x=12
So, the job was initially supposed to take 12 days, but actually the field was ploughed in 12 - 2
=10 days. The field's area is 120⋅12=1440 hectares.
79. A train covered half of the distance between stations A and B at the speed of 48 km/hr,
but then it had to stop for 15 min. To make up for the delay, it increased its speed
by 5/3 m/sec and it arrived to station B on time. Find the distance between the two
stations and the speed of the train after the stop.
Solution:
First let us determine the speed of the train after the stop. The speed was increased by 5 m/sec
3
5.60.60 km/hr. Therefore, the new speed is 48+6=54 km/hr. If it took x hours to cover the first
3/1000
half of the distance, then it took x - 15=x−0.25 hr to cover the second part.
60
So the equation is: 48⋅x=54⋅(x−0.25)
48⋅x=54⋅x−54⋅0.25
48⋅x−54⋅x=−13.5
−6x=−13.5
x=2.25 h.
The whole distance is
2×48×2.25=216 km.
80. A train travels from station A to station B. If the train leaves station A and makes 75
km/hr, it arrives at station B 48 minutes ahead of scheduled. If it made 50 km/hr, then
by the scheduled time of arrival it would still have 40 km more to go to station B. Find:
A) The distance between the two stations;
B) The time it takes the train to travel from A to B according to the schedule;
C) The speed of the train when it's on schedule.
Solution:
Let x be the scheduled time for the trip from A to B. Then the distance between A and B can be
found in two ways. On one hand, this distance equals 75(x−48) km. On the other hand, it
is 50x+40 km. So we get the equation: 60
75(x−48)=50x+40
60
x=4 hr is the scheduled travel time. The distance between the two stations is 50⋅4+40=240 km.
Then the speed the train must keep to be on schedule is 240=60 km/hr.
4
81. John has 30 marbles, 18 of which are red and 12 of which are blue. Jane has 20 marbles,
all of them either red or blue. If the ratio of the red marbles to the blue marbles is the
same for both John and Jane, then John has how many more blue marbles than Jane?
John has 30 marbles, 18 of which are red and 12 of which are blue.

We use the same ratio for Jane.

Step 2: Solve the equation
Cross Multiply
3 × x = 2 × (20 – x)
3x = 40 – 2x
Isolate variable x

82. John has 12 blue marbles. So, he has 12 – 8 = 4 more blue marbles than Jane.
Answer: John has 4 more blue marbles than Jane.
A special cereal mixture contains rice, wheat and corn in the ratio of 2:3:5. If a bag of the
mixture contains 3 pounds of rice, how much corn does it contain?
Solution:
Step 1: Assign variables:
Let x = amount of corn
Write the items in the ratio as a fraction.

Step 2: Solve the equation

Cross Multiply
2 × x = 3 × 5
2x = 15
Isolate variable x

Answer: The mixture contains 7.5 pounds of corn.

83. Clothing store A sells T-shirts in only three colors: red, blue and green. The colors are in
the ratio of 3 to 4 to 5. If the store has 20 blue T-shirts, how many T-shirts does it have
altogether?
Solution:
Step 1: Assign variables:
Let x = number of red shirts
and y = number of green shirts
Write the items in the ratios as fractions.
Step 2: Solve the equation
Cross Multiply
3 × 20 = x × 4
60 = 4x
x = 15
5 × 20 = y × 4
100 = 4y
y = 25
The total number of shirts would be 15 + 25 + 20 = 60
Answer: There are 60 shirts
84. In a certain room, there are 28 women and 21 men. What is the ratio of men to
women? What is the ratio of women to the total number of people?
Solution:
Men : women = 21 : 28 = 3:4
Women : total number of people = 28 : 49 = 4 : 7
85. In a group, the ratio of doctors to lawyers is 5:4. If the total number of people in the
group is 72, what is the number of lawyers in the group?
Solution:
Let the number of doctors be 5x and the number of lawyers be 4x.
Then 5x+4x = 72 → x=8.
So the number of lawyers in the group is 4x8 = 32.
86. In a bag, there are a certain number of toy-blocks with alphabets A, B, C and D written
on them. The ratio of blocks A:B:C:D is in the ratio 4:7:3:1. If the number of ‘A’ blocks is
50 more than the number of ‘C’ blocks, what is the number of ‘B’ blocks?
Solution:
Let the number of the blocks A,B,C,D be 4x, 7x, 3x and 1x respectively
4x = 3x + 50 → x = 50.
So the number of ‘B’ blocks is 7x50 = 350.
87. If the ratio of chocolates to ice-cream cones in a box is 5:8 and the number of
chocolates is 30, find the number of ice-cream cones.
Solution:
Let the number of chocolates be 5x and the number of ice-cream cones be 8x.
5x = 30 → x = 6.
Therefore, number of ice-cream cones in the box = 8x6 = 48.
88. In a mixture of 45 litres, the ratio of sugar solution to salt solution is 1:2. What is the
amount of sugar solution to be added if the ratio has to be 2:1?
Solution
Number of litres of sugar solution in the mixture = (1/(1+2)) *45 = 15 litres.
So, 45-15 = 30 litres of salt solution is present in it.
Let the quantity of sugar solution to be added be x litres.
Setting up the proportion,
sugar solution / salt solution = (15+x)/30 = 2/1 → x = 45.
Therefore, 45 litres of sugar solution has to be added to bring it to the ratio 2:1.
89. A certain recipe calls for 3kgs of sugar for every 6 kgs of flour. If 60kgs of this sweet has
to be prepared, how much sugar is required?
Solution:
Let the quantity of sugar required be x kgs.
3 kgs of sugar added to 6 kgs of flour constitutes a total of 9 kgs of sweet.
3 kgs of sugar is present in 9 kgs of sweet. We need to find the quantity of sugar required for 60
kgs of sweet. So the proportion looks like this.
3/9 = x/60 → x=20.
Therefore, 20 kgs of sugar is required for 60 kgs of sweet.
90. If a 60 ml of water contains 12% of chlorine, how much water must be added in order to
create a 8% chlorine solution?
Solution:
Let x ml of chlorine be present in water.
Then, 12/100 = x/60 → x = 7.2 ml
Therefore, 7.2 ml is present in 60 ml of water.
In order for this 7.2 ml to constitute 8% of the solution, we need to add extra water. Let this be
y ml.
Then, 8/100 = 7.2/y → y = 90 ml.
So in order to get a 8% chlorine solution, we need to add 90-60 = 30 ml of water.
91. Two numbers are in the ratio 3 : 4. If the sum of numbers is 63, find the numbers.
Solution:
Sum of the terms of the ratio = 3 + 4 = 7
Sum of numbers = 63
Therefore, first number = 3/7 × 63 = 27
Second number = 4/7 × 63 = 36
Therefore, the two numbers are 27 and 36
92. A bag contains $510 in the form of 50 p, 25 p and 20 p coins in the ratio 2 : 3 : 4. Find
the number of coins of each type. 
Solution: 
Let the number of 50 p, 25 p and 20 p coins be 2x, 3x and 4x. 
Then 2x × 50/100 + 3x × 25/100 + 4x × 20/100 = 510
x/1 + 3x/4 + 4x/5 = 510
(20x + 15x + 16x)/20 = 510 
⇒ 51x/20 = 510
x = (510 × 20)/51 
x = 200
2x = 2 × 200 = 400 
3x = 3 × 200 = 600 
4x = 4 × 200 = 800. 
Therefore, number of 50 p coins, 25 p coins and 20 p coins are 400, 600, 800 respectively. 
93. What must be added to each term of the ratio 2 : 3, so that it may become equal to 4 :
5?
Solution:
Let the number to be added be x, then (2 + x) : (3 + x) = 4 : 5
⇒ (2 + x)/(5 + x) = 4/5
5(2 + x) = 4(3 + x)
10 + 5x = 12 + 4x
5x - 4x = 12 - 10
x=2
94. The length of the ribbon was originally 30 cm. It was reduced in the ratio 5 : 3. What is
its length now?
Solution:
Length of ribbon originally = 30 cm
Let the original length be 5x and reduced length be 3x.
But 5x = 30 cm
x = 30/5 cm = 6 cm
Therefore, reduced length = 3 cm
= 3 × 6 cm = 18 cm
95. Mother divided the money among Ron, Sam and Maria in the ratio 2 : 3 : 5. If Maria got
$150, find the total amount and the money received by Ron and Sam.
Solution:
Let the money received by Ron, Sam and Maria be 2x, 3x, 5x respectively.
Given that Maria has got $ 150.
Therefore, 5x = 150
or, x = 150/5
or, x = 30
So, Ron got = 2x
 = $ 2 × 30 = $60
Sam got = 3x
= 3 × 60 = $90
Therefore, the total amount $(60 + 90 + 150) = $300 
96. Divide $370 into three parts such that second part is 1/4 of the third part and the ratio
between the first and the third part is 3 : 5. Find each part.
Solution:
Let the first and the third parts be 3x and 5x.
Second part = 1/4 of third part.
= (1/4) × 5x
= 5x/4
Therefore, 3x + (5x/4) + 5x = 370
(12x + 5x + 20x)/4 = 370
37x/4 = 370
x = (370 × 4)/37
x = 10 × 4
x = 40
Therefore, first part = 3x
 = 3 × 40
= $120
Second part = 5x/4
= 5 × 40/4
= $50
Third part = 5x
 = 5 × 40
 = $ 200
97. The first, second and third terms of the proportion are 42, 36, 35. Find the fourth term.
Solution:
Let the fourth term be x.
Thus 42, 36, 35, x are in proportion.
Product of extreme terms = 42 ×x
Product of mean terms = 36 X 35
Since, the numbers make up a proportion
Therefore, 42 × x = 36 × 35
or, x = (36 × 35)/42
or, x = 30
Therefore, the fourth term of the proportion is 30
98.  The ratio of number of boys and girls is 4 : 3. If there are 18 girls in a class, find the
number of boys in the class and the total number of students in the class.
Solution:
Number of girls in the class = 18
Ratio of boys and girls = 4 : 3
According to the question,
Boys/Girls = 4/5
Boys/18 = 4/5
Boys = (4 × 18)/3 = 24
Therefore, total number of students = 24 + 18 = 42.
99. Find the third proportional of 16 and 20.
Solution:
Let the third proportional of 16 and 20 be x.
Then 16, 20, x are in proportion.
This means 16 : 20 = 20 : x
So, 16 × x = 20 × 20
x = (20 × 20)/16 = 25
Therefore, the third proportional of 16 and 20 is 25.
100. he average age of three boys is 25 years and their ages are in the proportion 3 : 5
: 7. Find the age of the youngest boy.  
Solution :
From the ratio 3 : 5 : 7, the ages of three boys are 3x, 5x and 7x.
Average age of three boys  =  25
(3x + 5x + 7x) / 3  =  25
15x  =  75
x  =  5
Age of the first boy  =  3x  =  3(5)  =  15
Age of the first boy  =  5x  =  5(5)  =  25
Age of the first boy  =  7x  =  7(5)  =  105
So, the age of the youngest boy is 15 years.