Home > Algebra > Percent Equations

Thirty seven wells in Tallahassee were tested in July, 1989. Thirteen of these wells were contaminated. What percent of the wells were contaminated?

Answer 1

Hazel Anglin

35.1% of the wells were contaminated.

"Percent" or "%" means "out of 100" or "per 100" or #w/100#.

We can then write this problem as:

#13:37 = w/100#

#13/37 = w/100#

Now we solve for #w#:

#color(red)(100) xx 13/37 = color(red)(100) xx w/100#

#1300/37 = color(red)(cancel(color(black)(100))) xx w/color(red)(cancel(color(black)(100)))#

#1300/37 = w#

#35.1 = w# rounded to the nearest 10th.

By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Answer 2

Nathan Axel

To find the percentage of contaminated wells, divide the number of contaminated wells (13) by the total number of wells (37), then multiply by 100.

[ \frac{13}{37} \times 100 = \frac{13}{37} \times \frac{100}{1} = \frac{1300}{37} ]

The result is approximately 35.14%. Therefore, 35.14% of the wells were contaminated.

By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Answer from HIX Tutor

When evaluating a one-sided limit, you need to be careful when a quantity is approaching zero since its sign is different depending on which way it is approaching zero from. Let us look at some examples.