Maths Question in Bond CEM book

[Northdad]

I'm sure this is super easy but I'm stuck...please help.

In a school of 500 pupils, 20% learn Latin, 40% learn Spanish and 60% learn French. If half the pupils learn 2 languages and no one learns more than two, how many pupils do not learn one of these languages at school.

The answer is 150 but how?

thank you.

[Guest55]

I'm sure this is super easy but I'm stuck...please help.

In a school of 500 pupils, 20% learn Latin, 40% learn Spanish and 60% learn French. If half the pupils learn 2 languages and no one learns more than two, how many pupils do not learn one of these languages at school.

The answer is 150 but how?

thank you.

100 take Latin, 200 Spanish and 300 learn French.

250 did two languages so are counted twice - does that help?

I post again if you need another hint.

[Northdad]

2 years of maths at university and a physics degree...all useless!

Please post again!

[Guest55]

100 take Latin, 200 Spanish and 300 learn French.

250 did two languages so are counted twice.

100 + 200 + 300 = 600

600 - 250 = 350 do one or two languages ....

So ... can you see it now?

[You could work in %s ie 20% + 40% + 60% = 120%

120% - 50% = 70%, so 30% take no languages and 30% of 500 - I prefer using numbers though]

[Northdad]

So 500 pupils less the 350 that do one or two languages = 150.

The confusion for me is between the number of language classes attended and he number of pupils.

Thanks very much Guest55...Still hate the question though.

[Guest55]

Yes, that's it!

Students do this sort of stuff at Primary - they might use a Venn diagram.

[Catseye]

2 years of maths at university and a physics degree...all useless!

Clever people always over think things.

It's hard to think like a child-it's a real art .

When I was a child I thought as a child with real clarity now that I am a grown women my mind is muddled with too many ideas and information.

It is so tempting to try explaining things to young children with advanced ideas and over complicating things.

[PurpleDuck]

2 years of maths at university and a physics degree...all useless!

Clever people always over think things.

It's hard to think like a child-it's a real art .

When I was a child I thought as a child with real clarity now that I am a grown women my mind is muddled with too many ideas and information.

It is so tempting to try explaining things to young children with advanced ideas and over complicating things.

That's so true, Catseye. Sometimes the hardest thing is to explain something in the simplest terms possible.

[yoyo123]

Yes, that's it!

Students do this sort of stuff at Primary - they might use a Venn diagram.

If in doubt, draw a diagram!

[sunandcloud]

I was confusing myself with diagram and %... then DD explained to me as simple as G55.


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