To solve this problem, we can make a proportion. This means setting equal two fractions: the number of Americans that drink coffee divided by the total number of Americans and the number of people who drink coffee in the town (represented by the variable x) divided by the total number of people in the town. This is shown below:
21/50 = x/7700
To solve fractional equations like the one shown above, we can use cross-multiplication. This means taking the numerator of one fraction and multiplying it by the denominator of the other fraction and setting it equal to the product of the other numerator and denominator. This gives us:
(21)(7700) = (50)(x)
To solve this equation, we should begin by simplifying. To begin, we should perform the multiplication on both sides of the equation. This gives us:
161700 = 50x
Next, we should divide both sides of the equation by 50 in order to get the variable x alone on the right side of the equation.
x = 3234
Therefore, your answer is that there are 3234 people in the town that drink coffee.
Hope this helps!