how to solve this?

[[email protected]]

blackjack wrote:
A survey of employers found that during 1993 employment costs rose 3.5 percent, where employment costs consist of salary costs and fringe-benefits costs. If salary costs rose 3 percent and fringe-benefit costs rose 5.5 percent during 1993, then fringe-benefit costs represented what percent of employment costs at the beginning of 1993?
A 16.5%
B 20%
C 35%
D 65%
E 65%

[bblast]

A survey of employers found that during 1993 employment costs rose 3.5 percent, where employment costs consist of salary costs and fringe-benefits costs. If salary costs rose 3 percent and fringe-benefit costs rose 5.5 percent during 1993, then fringe-benefit costs represented what percent of employment costs at the beginning of 1993?

hi this is a weighed average problem :

you can visualize this way :

Salary rise----------Fringe rise
3%------------------------5.5%

as the weighted rise is 3.5% therefore the salary cost must comprise a greater share

Salary rise--------------------------- Fringe rise
3%----3.5%------------------------------5.5%
----weighted rise--------------------------

the distance between salary and weighted rise = 0.5 while the distance between weighted rise and fringe rise is 2.0

thus salary rise will contribute 4 parts to the total and fringe will contribute 1 part

fringe costs = 1(1+4) = 1/5 = 20%



You can also use WA formula :

3x + 5.5 y = (x+y)3.5

x/y = 4/1