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For several years, the state of New Hampshire Fish and Game Department earned several thousand dollars each year by auctioning wildlife killed along the Granite State’s roadways. The “road kill,” required to be in relatively good shape, was stored in a large freezer until the annual December auction. During the most recent auction three different collections of species made up the vast majority of frozen wildlife up for bid. Each of those collections made up one- third of the combined total. There was a set of bobcats, foxes and otters. There was a group of beavers and fishers (a weasel like animal). The final third was a large collection of black bears. Beavers made up 16.1% of the overall total. There were as many bobcats as beavers. There were four more foxes than otters. There were 16 fishers. What was the total number of road kill in these three collections, and how many were there of each species? (Hint: one-third equals 33.3%)

User Heroin
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1 Answer

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If you don't want to read my explanation, scroll to the bottom to see the answer






ok, don't let the mass of words distract you, convert it to math

ignore lots of stuff at top
basic importatnt info
-3 sections of equal size containing roadkill
we just need to find the stuff tat is confusing


Disclaimer: the following words will be my though process which may or may not be comprehensible or meaningful but I will provide the answer in the end

beavers make up 16.1% of all, that means that since they are in the 33.33%
33.33-16.1=17.233333333% is fishers

bobcats=beavers=16.1%
means foxes+otters=17.233333%=fishers
4 more foxes than otters
means
fox=otter+4, so
2otter+4=17.23333333%=fishers
fishers=16
nice
16=17.233333333%
16=0.1723333333333 of all
16=(517/3000) of all
times both sides by 3000/517
92.8433=all
about 93 total

16.1% of 93=14.9 rounds to 15=beavers=bobcats
fishers=17.2333333% of 93 or 16
16=2otters+4
minus 4
12=2otters
divide 2
6=otters
fox=4+otter
fox=6+4
fox=10

bear=33.3333% of 93 or 31

ANSWERS

93 total animals

15 bobcats
10 foxes
6 otters
15 beavers
16 fishers
31 bears
16 fishers
User Lanceomagnifico
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