Final answer:
To calculate the total number of students, add the number of students in French class (x) to those in Spanish class (y), then subtract the number of students enrolled in both classes (z).
Step-by-step explanation:
To find the total number of students in the school given the number of students in French class (x), Spanish class (y), and the number who are in both classes (z), we apply the principle of inclusion-exclusion. Each student in either French or Spanish class is initially counted once. However, students in both classes are counted twice, once in each language class. To adjust for this and avoid double counting, we subtract the number of students who are in both classes (z).
The expression for the total number of students in the school is: Total number of students = x + y - z
The total number of students in your school can be found by adding the number of students in French class (x), the number of students in Spanish class (y), and the number of students who are in both classes (z).
Total number of students = x + y + z
For example, if there are 50 students in French class, 70 students in Spanish class, and 20 students in both classes, the total number of students in the school would be:
Total number of students = 50 + 70 + 20 = 140