Question

Write and solve an equation to answer the question. About one eighth of the population is left-handed. In what size school would you expect to find about 50 left-handed students?

Short answer

So, a school of 400 students would have about 50 left-handed students.

Step-by-step solution

Equation Setup

Let \(X\) be the total school size. The question tells us that one eighth of the population is left-handed: \(\frac{1}{8} * X\), and that there are about 50 left-handed students. So, the equation becomes: \(\frac{1}{8} * X = 50\).

Solve the equation

We need to isolate \(X\) on one side of the equation. So, we'll multiply each side by 8: \(X = 50 * 8\).

Calculate

Now, calculate the right side of the equation: \(X = 400\).