Question

Forty people each bought $2 lottery tickets. Three of these people won $5, two of them won $10, and one of them won $20. The total amount of money is what percent of the total amount spent on the tickets?

a) 27.5%
b) 30%
c) 32.5%
d) 35%

Answer 1

To calculate what percent of the total amount spent the winnings are, first determine the total spent ($80) and the total won ($55) and then use the formula (total won ÷ total spent) × 100%. Upon calculation, you get 68.75%, which is not listed among the response options suggesting a need to recheck the calculations.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question asks us to find the total amount of money won as a percentage of the total amount spent on lottery tickets. Forty people each bought a $2 lottery ticket, so the total amount spent is 40 tickets × $2/ticket = $80. The total amount won is calculated by adding the winnings: 3 people won $5 each, 2 people won $10 each, and 1 person won $20. Therefore, the total amount won is (3 × $5) + (2 × $10) + ($20) = $15 + $20 + $20 = $55.

To find what percent $55 is of $80, we use the formula (total amount won ÷ total amount spent) × 100%, which gives us ($55 ÷ $80) × 100% = 68.75%. This percentage is not among the answer choices provided, so if this outcome is what a student calculated, they would need to review their method and calculations for any possible mistakes.