Outline Mathematics
Arithmetic Word Problems

A Planeload

Here's a problem to tackle:

 

What is the largest number of people the plane can carry?

A clue: if the plane was full, had a crew of 20 people, and 140 passengers with window seats, then there were 406 passengers who did not get window seats.

Solution


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Copyright © 1996-2018 Alexander Bogomolny

Solution

 

How many people can the largest plane carry?

A clue: if the plane was full, had a crew of 20 people, and 140 passengers with window seats, then there were 406 passengers who did not get window seats.

(In the text below, some words are omitted. These have been underlined. Click just above the line. See what happens.)

Look, we have three categories of people: the crew, passengers with window seats and the unlucky ones sitting away from windows. All are inside the plane and all are being carried by the plane. Since the plane is , the maximum number of the plane can carry is the sum total of the quantities in the categories:

Crew:  20
Window seats:  140
Inner seats:  406

What is the total? Well, 140 + 406 = . And 546 + 20 = . Quite a crowd.


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Copyright © 1996-2018 Alexander Bogomolny

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