MHB Solve June's Problem: Monthly Allowance of \$290?

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June's problem involves calculating Dan's monthly allowance based on his spending habits. He spends 20% of his income on food, $18 less on transport than on food, and $10 more on phone bills than on food, with $108 remaining after these expenses. The correct calculation reveals that his monthly allowance is $250, not $290 as initially suggested. The discussion emphasizes the importance of clearly presenting work for accurate assistance. Clear and legible presentation of calculations is crucial for effective problem-solving in such discussions.
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Hi
I have a problem sum question. I have attempted it but I think that my answer is incorrect. Please help.

June, Dan spent 20% of his monthly income on food and \$18 less on transport than on food. He spent \$10 more on phone bills than on food and saved the remaining \$108. What was his monthly allowance?

My answer is \$290

Please advice
 
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wailingkoh said:
Hi
I have a problem sum question. I have attempted it but I think that my answer is incorrect. Please help.

June, Dan spent 20% of his monthly income on food and \$18 less on transport than on food. He spent \$10 more on phone bills than on food and saved the remaining \$108. What was his monthly allowance?

My answer is \$290

Please advice

First, because we use dollar signs as tags for $\LaTeX$, if you want to use plain dollar signs in your text, precede them with a backslash.

Okay, now I get a different answer to this question than you did, but without seeing your work I have no idea where you may have gone wrong (assuming I am right). Can you post what you did?
 
MarkFL said:
First, because we use dollar signs as tags for $\LaTeX$, if you want to use plain dollar signs in your text, precede them with a backslash.

Okay, now I get a different answer to this question than you did, but without seeing your work I have no idea where you may have gone wrong (assuming I am right). Can you post what you did?

Hi,
Thanks for you reply. Yes I did post my my working in the problem sum thread. In photo form :)
 
wailingkoh said:
Hi,
Thanks for you reply. Yes I did post my my working in the problem sum thread. In photo form :)

I got $250 using algebra
 
wailingkoh said:
Hi,
Thanks for you reply. Yes I did post my my working in the problem sum thread. In photo form :)

You need to post your working in the thread in which you are asking for help...you certainly shouldn't expect people to have to locate another thread (or even know it is in another thread) to find your work. And I do recall that thread, and I found those small images of hand-written work too difficult to read. You may recall I stated as much in that thread. :D

You are to be commended for having posted your work, and I don't want you to think I am completely disregarding that fact. I am just offering suggestions on how to make it easier for people to help you, which will ensure you get more timely help. I would suggest either making your images somewhat larger or even better to type your work (I would only upload images of supporting diagrams). If you are uploading an image of handwritten work, make certain is it neat and legible. :D

wailingkoh said:
I got $250 using algebra

Yes, that's what I got too, and here's what I did:

Let:

$I$ be the monthly income.

$F=0.2I$ is the monthly amount spent on food.

$T=F-18=0.2I-18$ is the monthly amount spent on transport.

$P=F+10=0.2I+10$ is the monthly amount spent on phone bills.

Now, we are told that the remainder (what's left after those monthly expenses) is \$108. And so we may write:

$$I-(F+T+P)=108$$

$$I-(0.2I+.2I-18+0.2I+10)=108$$

$$I-(0.6I-8)=108$$

$$I-0.6I+8=108$$

$$0.4I=100$$

$$\frac{5}{2}\cdot0.4I=\frac{5}{2}\cdot100$$

$$I=250$$
 
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