Calculate Total Flowers: 450 Blooming with 1/10 Withered Problem

Algebraic Word Problems with Fractional Relationships

Tatiana plants flowers in her garden.

450 flowers bloom,
while the rest110 \frac{1}{10} of them wither.

How many flowers does Tatiana plant?

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Step-by-step written solution

Follow each step carefully to understand the complete solution
1

Understand the problem

Tatiana plants flowers in her garden.

450 flowers bloom,
while the rest110 \frac{1}{10} of them wither.

How many flowers does Tatiana plant?

2

Step-by-step solution

To solve this problem, we'll set up a simple equation:

  • Let x x be the total number of flowers Tatiana plant.
  • From the problem statement, we know that 450 flowers bloom. Thus, the remaining 110 \frac{1}{10} of the flowers wither.
  • We can express the withered flowers as 110x \frac{1}{10}x .
  • Set up the equation: blooming flowers plus withering flowers equals the total number of flowers:
    450+110x=x 450 + \frac{1}{10}x = x
  • Subtract 110x \frac{1}{10}x from both sides to isolate the variable:
    450=x110x 450 = x - \frac{1}{10}x
  • Combine like terms on the right-hand side:
    450=910x 450 = \frac{9}{10}x
  • To solve for x x , divide both sides by 910 \frac{9}{10} :
    x=450910 x = \frac{450}{\frac{9}{10}}
  • Simplify the division, multiplying by the reciprocal:
    x=450×109 x = 450 \times \frac{10}{9}
  • Calculate x x :
    x=450×109=450×1.1111=500 x = 450 \times \frac{10}{9} = 450 \times 1.1111 = 500

Therefore, Tatiana plants a total of 500 flowers.

3

Final Answer

500

Key Points to Remember

Essential concepts to master this topic
  • Setup: Define variable for total, express parts as algebraic terms
  • Equation: blooming flowers + withered flowers = total: 450 + 110x \frac{1}{10}x = x
  • Check: Verify 500 total: 450 bloom + 50 wither = 500 ✓

Common Mistakes

Avoid these frequent errors
  • Adding the fraction directly to 450
    Don't solve 450 + 1/10 = 450.1 flowers! This treats the fraction as a number instead of a fraction OF the total. Always set up the equation where blooming + withering = total flowers.

Practice Quiz

Test your knowledge with interactive questions

Solve for X:

\( 5x=25 \)

FAQ

Everything you need to know about this question

Why can't I just add 450 + 1/10 to get the answer?

+

Because 110 \frac{1}{10} means one-tenth OF the total flowers, not just 0.1 flower! You need to find what number, when you take 1/10 of it and add 450, gives you the original number.

How do I know if 1/10 refers to the total or just some flowers?

+

The phrase "the rest 1/10 of them wither" tells us it's 1/10 of all the flowers planted. The word "them" refers back to all the flowers Tatiana planted.

What does it mean to 'isolate the variable' in this problem?

+

Isolating means getting x by itself on one side of the equation. We moved 110x \frac{1}{10}x to combine it with x, giving us 910x \frac{9}{10}x = 450.

Why do we multiply by 10/9 instead of dividing by 9/10?

+

Dividing by a fraction is the same as multiplying by its reciprocal! So ÷910 \div \frac{9}{10} = ×109 \times \frac{10}{9} . Both give the same answer: 500.

How can I check if 500 is really correct?

+
  • Blooming: 450 flowers ✓
  • Withering: 110×500=50 \frac{1}{10} \times 500 = 50 flowers ✓
  • Total: 450 + 50 = 500 ✓

All parts match perfectly!

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