Please clarify this statement for me please

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In summary: There is no way to tell how many units of fruit can be bought for a given number of units of vegetables, but fruit will always cost twice as much per unit. In summary, the relative price of fruit to vegetables is 2, and the absolute price of vegetables is $10. This means that fruit costs twice as much per unit as vegetables, making the unit cost of fruit $20. The ratio of cost of fruit to cost of vegetables is 2.
  • #1
trainwreck
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If the relative price of A to B is 2, and the absolute price of B is $10, what is the price of A?


Is it $5? I am assuming 5 dollars, for you can buy 2 As per 1 B, right?


This is dirt easy, but I am an exchange student and the language used is simply confusing me. Would appreciate your help!

Thanks in advance! :)
 
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  • #2
trainwreck said:
If the relative price of A to B is 2, and the absolute price of B is $10, what is the price of A?


Is it $5? I am assuming 5 dollars, for you can buy 2 As per 1 B, right?


This is dirt easy, but I am an exchange student and the language used is simply confusing me. Would appreciate your help!

Thanks in advance! :)

The first sentence is not very precise, unfortunately. I would interpret it this way (but I could be interpreting it wrong):

"the relative price of A to B is 2" implies to me that A/B = 2.
 
  • #3
The relative price of fruit to vegetables is 2, the absolute price of vegetables is $10. What is the price of fruit?

The way I interpret this is that one can buy two units of fruit per one unit of vegetable. Therefore the price of fruit must be $5?

Is this how you see it too? The term "relative to" is confusing me. Thanks for your help. :)
 
  • #4
trainwreck said:
The relative price of fruit to vegetables is 2, the absolute price of vegetables is $10. What is the price of fruit?

The way I interpret this is that one can buy two units of fruit per one unit of vegetable. Therefore the price of fruit must be $5?

Is this how you see it too? The term "relative to" is confusing me. Thanks for your help. :)

As I said, the statement "The relative price of fruit to vegetables is 2" is not very precise, and is open to interpretation. You and I are interpreting it differently. A better way to express relative costs is like this:

A:B = 2:1

or like this:

A/B = 2

.
 
  • #5
trainwreck said:
The relative price of fruit to vegetables is 2, the absolute price of vegetables is $10. What is the price of fruit?

The way I interpret this is that one can buy two units of fruit per one unit of vegetable. Therefore the price of fruit must be $5?

It's very ambiguous.

Look at the opposite: the relative price of fruit to veggies is 1/2. So fruit is 1/2 of veggies. So fruit is $5.

Since that makes sense (to me), I'd say that, if the relative price is 2, then the price of fruit is $20.

If you get it wrong you should point them to this thread, where a bunch of brainiacs couldn't decipher the meaning of the question. :tongue2:
 
  • #6
berkeman said:
As I said, the statement "The relative price of fruit to vegetables is 2" is not very precise, and is open to interpretation. You and I are interpreting it differently. A better way to express relative costs is like this:

A:B = 2:1

or like this:

A/B = 2

.

So if A:B = 2:1, that means that A is cheaper than B. The way I am thinking is that for every unit of B, you can buy 2 units of A. Does this make sense? This is confusing; thanks for helping out. :) B=$10; A=$5
 
Last edited:
  • #7
trainwreck said:
So if A:B = 2:1, that means that A is cheaper than B. The way I am thinking is that for every unit of B, you can buy 2 units of A. Does this make sense? This is confusing; thanks for helping out. :)

No.

The notation A:B = 2:1 means that A is twice as big as B.
 
  • #8
DaveC426913 said:
It's very ambiguous.

Look at the opposite: the relative price of fruit to veggies is 1/2. So fruit is 1/2 of veggies. So fruit is $5.

Since that makes sense (to me), I'd say that, if the relative price is 2, then the price of fruit is $20.

If you get it wrong you should point them to this thread, where a bunch of brainiacs couldn't decipher the meaning of the question. :tongue2:

Why are you adding the 1 in the numerator though? Couldn't it also be placed in the denominator? Ohhhhhhhh I am confused. Thanks :D
 
  • #9
trainwreck said:
Why are you adding the 1 in the numerator though? Couldn't it also be placed in the denominator? Ohhhhhhhh I am confused. Thanks :D

Maybe this wikipedia page will help to clear up the concept of "ratios" for you:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ratio

.
 
  • #10
berkeman said:
Maybe this wikipedia page will help to clear up the concept of "ratios" for you:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ratio

.
Opportunity cost is defined as what you forego when you choose to buy A instead of B. So if A costs $4 and B costs $2 and you buy one unit of A, you forego to buy two units of B.

So the relative price of fruit to vegetables is 2, the absolute price of vegetables is $10. What is the price of fruit?

The way I interpret this is that one can buy two units of fruit per one unit of vegetable. Therefore the price of fruit must be $5?

Maybe I am not being logical here. That is why I am on here, after all. Thanks again. :)
 
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  • #11
I spoke with someone else, and the way he is interpreting the question is exactly how you said

A:B = 2:1 since A is twice as big as B, and B costs $10, A must cost $20.

Thanks everyone! I was just interpreting it differently. :)
 
  • #12
trainwreck said:
So the relative price of fruit to vegetables is 2, the absolute price of vegetables is $10. What is the price of fruit?

The way I interpret this is that one can buy two units of fruit per one unit of vegetable. Therefore the price of fruit must be $5?
I think you get this now, but you have asked the question so many times, I'm not sure. Your interpretation is wrong - in this problem, fruit costs twice as much per unit as vegetables. This would make the unit cost of fruit $20.

Fruit cost (per unit) $20
Veg. cost (per unit) $10

Ratio of cost of fruit to cost of vegetables = 20/10 = 2.
 

1. What does "Please clarify this statement for me please" mean?

This statement is a request for further explanation or clarification of a previous statement or idea.

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Asking for clarification ensures that all parties involved have a clear understanding of the statement or idea being discussed. It can prevent misunderstandings and promote effective communication.

3. How can someone effectively clarify a statement?

To effectively clarify a statement, one can ask for specific examples or details, restate the statement in their own words, or ask for further explanation or context.

4. Are there instances where clarification is not necessary?

There may be instances where clarification is not necessary, such as when the statement is clear and easily understood, or when it does not pertain to the current discussion or situation.

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No, asking for clarification is not a sign of weakness. In fact, it shows a desire to fully understand and engage in the conversation, which can lead to more productive and meaningful communication.

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