Question

The ratio of the number of people who own a smart phone to the number of people who own a flip phone is 4 : 3. If 500 more people own a smart phone than a flip phone, how many people pwn each type of phone?

Answer 1

To solve the problem, assign the number of flip phone owners as a variable x, apply the given ratio and the additional information (500 more smartphone owners), and solve for x. The result is that 1500 people own a flip phone and 2000 own a smartphone.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question involves the concept of ratios and requires algebra to solve. We're given a ratio of 4:3 for smartphones to flip phones and told that 500 more people own a smartphone than a flip phone.

Steps to Solve the Problem:

1. Let the number of people who own a flip phone be x.
2. According to the ratio, the number of people who own a smartphone will be x + 500.
3. Set up a ratio based on the information: (x + 500) / x = 4 / 3.
4. Cross-multiply to get 3(x + 500) = 4x.
5. Solve for x: 3x + 1500 = 4x; therefore, x = 1500 (number of flip phone owners).
6. Calculate the number of smartphone owners: 1500 + 500 = 2000.

So, there are 2000 people who own a smartphone and 1500 people who own a flip phone.