In a poll in a school, students picked whether they liked apples or oranges more. The ratio for this was
5:8. Five absent students were polled the next day and each of them preferred apples and the new ratio was 5:6. How many people were originally polled?

Question

In a poll in a school, students picked whether they liked apples or oranges more. The ratio for this was
5:8. Five absent students were polled the next day and each of them preferred apples and the new ratio was 5:6. How many people were originally polled?

anonymous · Answer

Say there are x students of which y like apples
y:x-y = 5:8
y+5:x-y =5:6

anonymous · Answer

You arent making any sense. whats the answer then?

dumbcow · Answer

it might be easier to look at it in fraction form

y/(x-y) = 5/8
(y+5)/(x-y) = 5/6

y is the students who like apples, x is the total num of students
x-y students like oranges

you have to solve the system of proportions for x and y

anonymous · Answer

wouldnt the denominator for the second one be (x-y+5)

dumbcow · Answer

no because the num of students that liked oranges did not change

anonymous · Answer

okay

anonymous · Answer

so... what next?

dumbcow · Answer

i would solve one of the equations for y, then substitute into the other equation in order to find x

anonymous · Answer

what do you get as your answer?

dumbcow · Answer

x = 39
y = 15

anonymous · Answer

Thats correct! I'm a bit slow on systems... Thanks for showing me how to do it.