Percentile problem

Question

Of the 2,000 employees who work at company ABC, 80% are factory workers. If the number of factory workers will be reduced by 1/4, what percent of the total number of remaining employees would then be factory workers?

A. 25%
B. 60%
C. 75%
D. 80%
E. Other

____________________________________________________________________________________________
My solution was 2000 x 80% = 1600 (factory workers)

Number of factory wokers reduced by 1/4, it means the current factory workers percentile is100%-25% = 75%:
1600 x (1-25%) = 1200 factory workers

and numbers of employees remaining: 2000-1200=800 employees

1200factory workers/800 employees x 100% = wrong answer

BUT.....the answer sheet shows the number of employees remaining : 2000 - 400 = 1600
then 1200 factory workers/ 1600employees x 100% = 75%

My question is why we should use 2000-400=1600, which is the number of employees remaining???

Correct answer: C

Thanks,

Yvonne

Night reader · Answer

factory workers' reduction by 1/4 --> 2,000*8/40=400; remaining factory workers --> (1,600-400)=1,200; remaining employees --> (2,000-400)=1,600; %% ratio 1,200/1,600=3/4 OR 75%

IOM C

yvonne0923 wrote:Of the 2,000 employees who work at company ABC, 80% are factory workers. If the number of factory workers will be reduced by 1/4, what percent of the total number of remaining employees would then be factory workers?

A. 25%
B. 60%
C. 75%
D. 80%
E. Other

See you made mistake below-underlined portion ...
Remaining employees are (2,000-400)=1,600. What you have found is the number of all employees who are not factory employees. The question was asking the number of remaining employees (after reduction of factory employees) and not the number of non-factory employees. The remaining employees means All employees less reduced employees.

yvonne0923 wrote:My solution was 2000 x 80% = 1600 (factory workers)

Number of factory wokers reduced by 1/4, it means the current factory workers percentile is100%-25% = 75%:
1600 x (1-25%) = 1200 factory workers

and numbers of employees remaining: 2000-1200=800 employees

1200factory workers/800 employees x 100% = wrong answer

BUT.....the answer sheet shows the number of employees remaining : 2000 - 400 = 1600
then 1200 factory workers/ 1600employees x 100% = 75%

My question is why we should use 2000-400=1600, which is the number of employees remaining???

Correct answer: C

Thanks,

Yvonne

yvonne0923 · Answer

Hi IOM, Is the remaining employees supposed to be = 2000 - remaining factory workers1,200? why did you use 2000-400(reduction of factory workers)?

Night reader · Answer

hi, i'm night reader and IOM means "I only managed" some answer or comment
please reread my previous reply before posting again and you will understand everything.
thanks

yvonne0923 wrote:Hi IOM,

Is the remaining employees supposed to be = 2000 - remaining factory workers1,200? why did you use 2000-400(reduction of factory workers)?

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