Having received his weekly allowance, John spent 3/5 of his allowance at the arcade. The next day he spent one third of his remaining allowance at the toy store, and then spent his last $0.80 at the candy store. What is John's weekly allowance?
A. $2.40
B. $3.00
C. $3.20
D. $3.60
E. $4.80
[spoiler]OA=B[/spoiler].
I am confused. What are the equations that I should set here? Can any expert give me some help? Thanks in advanced.
Having received his weekly allowance, John spent 3/5 of
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Hi Gmat_mission,
We're told that John spent 3/5 of his allowance at the arcade, then spent one third of his remaining allowance at the toy store and then spent his last $0.80 at the candy store. We're asked for John's weekly allowance. This question can be solved by TESTing THE ANSWERS.
Let's start with the 'easiest' answer and TEST Answer B first:
Answer B: $3.00
IF.... John's allowance = $3.00
He spent (3/5)($3) at the arcade = $1.80 spent at the arcade, leaving $3.00 - $1.80 = $1.20
He then spent (1/3)($1.20) at the toy store = $0.40 spent at the toy store, leaving $1.20 - $0.40 = $0.80
This is an exact match for what we were told, so this must be the answer.
Final Answer: B
GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
We're told that John spent 3/5 of his allowance at the arcade, then spent one third of his remaining allowance at the toy store and then spent his last $0.80 at the candy store. We're asked for John's weekly allowance. This question can be solved by TESTing THE ANSWERS.
Let's start with the 'easiest' answer and TEST Answer B first:
Answer B: $3.00
IF.... John's allowance = $3.00
He spent (3/5)($3) at the arcade = $1.80 spent at the arcade, leaving $3.00 - $1.80 = $1.20
He then spent (1/3)($1.20) at the toy store = $0.40 spent at the toy store, leaving $1.20 - $0.40 = $0.80
This is an exact match for what we were told, so this must be the answer.
Final Answer: B
GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
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Let w = John's weekly allowanceGmat_mission wrote:Having received his weekly allowance, John spent 3/5 of his allowance at the arcade. The next day he spent one third of his remaining allowance at the toy store, and then spent his last $0.80 at the candy store. What is John's weekly allowance?
A. $2.40
B. $3.00
C. $3.20
D. $3.60
E. $4.80
Having received his weekly allowance, John spent 3/5 of his allowance at the arcade
If John spent 3/5 of his allowance, then he has 2/5 REMAINING
So, (2/5)(w) = allowance REMAINING
The next day he spent one third of his remaining allowance at the toy store
If he spent 1/3, then he has 2/3 REMAINING
So, (2/3)(2/5)(w) = allowance REMAINING
Once all of this is done, John had $0.80 REMAINING
So (2/3)(2/5)(w) = 0.8
Simplify: (4/15)(w) = 0.8
Multiply both sides by 15 to get: 4w = 12
Divide both sides by 4 to get: w = 3
Answer: B
Cheers,
Brent
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We can let n = the weekly allowance and create the equation:Gmat_mission wrote:Having received his weekly allowance, John spent 3/5 of his allowance at the arcade. The next day he spent one third of his remaining allowance at the toy store, and then spent his last $0.80 at the candy store. What is John's weekly allowance?
A. $2.40
B. $3.00
C. $3.20
D. $3.60
E. $4.80
(3/5)n + 1/3(2/5)n + 0.8 = n
3n/5 + 2n/15 + 0.8 = n
Multiplying by 15, we have:
9n + 2n + 12 = 15n
12 = 4n
3 = n
Answer: B
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