Mr Lim bought some red and green apples. After selling an equal number of red and green apples, he had 34 of the red apples and 12 of the green apples left. What fraction of the apples Mr Lim bought were sold?
- 13
- 25
- 37
- 49
Need a hint?
Try to make the number of apples sold the same for both colours by choosing a smart total for each.
Worked answer
- Let the number of red apples be 4 units and green apples be 2 units (to make the sold amount equal).
- Red apples left: 34 of 4 units = 3 units. So, 1 unit of red apples was sold.
- Green apples left: 12 of 2 units = 1 unit. So, 1 unit of green apples was sold.
- Total apples sold = 1 + 1 = 2 units.
- Total apples bought = 4 + 2 = 6 units.
- Fraction sold = 2/6 = 13.
Answer: 13
The mistake this question tests
Habit
Fraction of a remainder
A common mistake is to add the fractions left (34 + 12) and then subtract from 1, which mixes up different wholes.
How to fix it at home →Wrong answers children often give:
- 25 Calculation slip
- 37 Fraction of a remainder
- 49 Stopped at one part in ratio
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See the answer →Practise PSLE fractions until the mistakes stop.
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