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Anyone remember algebra?


Quinn

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It's been too long for me, but I ran accross this snippet of information the The Week magazine:

 

"Almost a third of the nation's workers can't take sick days when they fall ill. While 80 percent of full-time employees get paid sick days, only 25 percent of part-timers do."

 

This should be enough information to determine what percent of all workers are full vs. parttime. 20 percent full-timers plus 75 percent part-timers equals one third of the total workforce.

 

A full page of notes and I've got an answer, but would be interested to see how I should have done it.

 

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Joe Frickin' Friday

Let X = fraction of workforce that is full-timers

Let Y = fraction of workforce that is part-timers

 

then

 

.2*X + .75*Y = 1/3

X + Y = 1

 

Rearrange the second equation to get X = 1-Y

Substitute into the first equation to get

 

.2*(1-Y) + .75*Y = 1/3

...

.55*Y = 1/3 - 0.2

...

.55*Y = 0.1333333333

 

Y = 24% of the workforce is part-timers

X = 76% of the workforce is full-timers

 

Did we get the same answers?

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*Proposal*

 

f= full-time

p= part-time

 

(1/5)f + (3/4)p = (1/3)(f+p)

 

(5/12)p = (2/15)f

 

25/8 = f/p

 

So, the ratio of full-time to part-time is 25:8, and therefore

 

percent full-time = 25/33 = 76%

 

percent part-time = 8/33 = 24%

 

Ta, da! :-) (I think) ;-)

 

---John.

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Wow, my method, such that it is, was half way between.

 

F= full

P= part

W= workers

 

F/5 + 3P/4 = W/3

P= W-F

 

F/5 + 3(W-F)/4 = W/3

 

Then I got a little lost trying to remember how to multiply and divide fractions, lowest common denominator vs. greatest common factors, for about half a sheet of paper before I came out with the same amswers.

 

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I was good at this stuff back (waaaaay back) in school. But I've not needed it in my professional life, so I've lost my connection to it. But I'm impressed by those who still have these skills at their fingertips. I probably would have Kloogeed up an answer and gotten somewhere close (or not) and figured if I really wanted to know I can always dig up my old algebra books (actually still have them) or I can PM Mitch.

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If the Unrally is held in Blowing Rock, NC, and a rider leaves Atlanta, Ga at 0700 on a Wednesday morning,

.

.

.

How far will Mitch get before he loses his final drive?

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Coming next week we'll be diagraming sentences in the past superflous tense using iambic pentameter phrases.

 

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Boy, that ages you (and me).......I don't think "middle aged" folks know what diagraming sentences means....... :grin:

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Grammar, diagraming sentences, and spelling are again being emphasized after the carnage of whole language and ebonics.

 

Dun mite bee two lait four sum.

 

 

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Coming next week we'll be diagraming sentences in the past superflous tense using iambic pentameter phrases.

 

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Boy, that ages you (and me).......I don't think "middle aged" folks know what diagraming sentences means....... :grin:

 

Ain't that the truth. I took 3 years of Latin. :eek:

note, it was NOT an elective.

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I dunno Albert, back in the day, even babies learned Latin in just 2 years.

:P

 

To get back to OP, studies show that bi/polylingual individuals

have more brain activity when studied under a PET scan wrt

math/music etc.

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To answer the original question, I think the Earth had it right with 42.

Seriously, I would have to say I believe the equation with (1/5)x was the winner. I was never good at taking verbiage and turning it into equations, but I could solve the suckers without a problem.

 

(For the non geeks, "Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy")

 

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So, how many people thought this thread was going to be about the mideastern terrorist organization--Al Gebra? How many were afraid they were going to release weapons of math instruction?

 

 

No pun too bad to share.

 

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