Question

Alice, Ben and Carol shared a sum of money they received. Alice received 1/5 of the money. The rest of the money was divided between Ben and Carol in the ratio 1:3. If Carol received $6 more than Alice, how much money did Ben receive?

Answer 1

$3

Explanation:

The money shared by Ben and Carol was split ...

... Ben : Carol = 1 : 3

The difference of these ratio numbers is 2, and the difference in amount received is $6. Thus, each ratio unit must stand for $6/2 = $3.

... Ben received 1×$3 = $3

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The Rest of the Story

Carol received 3×$3 = $9. Together, Ben and Carol received $3 + 9 = $12, which is 4/5 of the total amount. Then the 1/5 of the total amount that Alice received is

... (1/5)×$12/(4/5) = (1/4)×$12 = $3.

The $15 of money was split ...

... Alice : Ben : Carol = $3 : $3 : $9