The Student Room Group

Points Problem

Rather simple calculation but I need help in understanding the

Problem:

*For every 500 points you get £5.

Work out how many vouchers you get per pound.*I've worked out that you get £0.01 per voucher as £5/500 = £0.01. So 500 * 0.01 = £5

*But this doesn't help with the problem. Is it just a case of 500 vouchers / £5 = £100. So for 500 vouchers I need to spend £100 (I would have thought this would have given me vouchers per pound?) Continuing therefore 500 vouchers/£100 = 5 vouchers. So for every £1 I spend I get 5 vouchers? Is this the easiest method to my workings?

If I turn it into algebra 500v = £5
500v/5 = £5/5
100v = £1

But they have £1 = 5 vouchers

I hope this makes sense!!*
Original post by dthomas86
Rather simple calculation but I need help in understanding the

Problem:

*For every 500 points you get £5.

Work out how many vouchers you get per pound.*I've worked out that you get £0.01 per voucher as £5/500 = £0.01. So 500 * 0.01 = £5

*But this doesn't help with the problem. Is it just a case of 500 vouchers / £5 = £100. So for 500 vouchers I need to spend £100 (I would have thought this would have given me vouchers per pound?) Continuing therefore 500 vouchers/£100 = 5 vouchers. So for every £1 I spend I get 5 vouchers? Is this the easiest method to my workings?

If I turn it into algebra 500v = £5
500v/5 = £5/5
100v = £1

But they have £1 = 5 vouchers

I hope this makes sense!!*


I'll assume that by points you mean vouchers, as you haven't given the number of points per voucher, and so if you don't assume that they're the same, the problem becomes impossible.

Then, simply 500 vouchers = £5 so divide by 5 to give that £1 = 100 vouchers.
Reply 2
Original post by HapaxOromenon3
I'll assume that by points you mean vouchers, as you haven't given the number of points per voucher, and so if you don't assume that they're the same, the problem becomes impossible.

Then, simply 500 vouchers = £5 so divide by 5 to give that £1 = 100 vouchers.
*

Sorry for the confusion I am talking about points then vouchers. I meant the same thing.*

I would have thought that was the correct procedure but they've got £1 = 5 points/vouchers *
Original post by dthomas86
*

Sorry for the confusion I am talking about points then vouchers. I meant the same thing.*

I would have thought that was the correct procedure but they've got £1 = 5 points/vouchers *


In that case the given answer is wrong. You should complain to the publishers of whatever book/resource you got the problem from.
Reply 4
Deleted post
(edited 7 years ago)
Reply 5
Original post by HapaxOromenon3
In that case the given answer is wrong. You should complain to the publishers of whatever book/resource you got the problem from.


It's actually from a shopping website. I was trying to work it out last night! Really confused me of how they got that! I'm used to calculations like price per whatever as I'm training to be an accountant but this confused the hell out of me because when I put it as algebra I kept coming back to 100 vouchers/points.*


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Reply 6
Original post by dthomas86
It's actually from a shopping website. I was trying to work it out last night! Really confused me of how they got that! I'm used to calculations like price per whatever as I'm training to be an accountant but this confused the hell out of me because when I put it as algebra I kept coming back to 100 vouchers/points.*Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



What exactly is the question? You spend 1 quid to earn 5 points. You spend 100 quid to earn 500 points. So you spend 100 quid to get a 5 quid voucher.

Which comes down to, if you divide both by 5: spend 20 quid to get a 1 quid voucher.
Reply 7
Original post by Zacken
What exactly is the question? You spend 1 quid to earn 5 points. You spend 100 quid to earn 500 points. So you spend 100 quid to get a 5 quid voucher.

Which comes down to, if you divide both by 5: spend 20 quid to get a 1 quid voucher.


Sorry for the confusion. I should have phrased my question better.

Say you wanted to work out how many points you get for £1. How would you do this if you were only provide with 500 points = £5.

Using algebra where P= points

500P = £5

500P/5 = £5/5

100P = £1

P = £0.01

I can also go 500P/£5 = 100P

500/100 = 5 but I need to explain why use this process and why the algebra above doesn't work for it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Reply 8
Original post by dthomas86
Sorry for the confusion. I should have phrased my question better.

Say you wanted to work out how many points you get for £1. How would you do this if you were only provide with 500 points = £5.

Using algebra where P= points

500P = £5

500P/5 = £5/5

100P = £1

P = £0.01

I can also go 500P/£5 = 100P

500/100 = 5 but I need to explain why use this process and why the algebra above doesn't work for it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


The issue here is that "spent pounds" and "voucher pounds" are different units. 1 voucher pound = 20 spent pounds.

So you do indeed have 100 points per voucher pound.

You also have 5 points per spent pound.
Reply 9
Original post by Zacken
The issue here is that "spent pounds" and "voucher pounds" are different units. 1 voucher pound = 20 spent pounds.

So you do indeed have 100 points per voucher pound.

You also have 5 points per spent pound.


Thank you for the help. So to show the calculation is it:

For spent points/vouchers:

500 points = £5

500 points/£5 = £100

So you have to spend £100 to get a £5 voucher.

Points/vouchers per pound:

500 points / £100 = 5

5 points = £1


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Reply 10
Original post by dthomas86
Thank you for the help. So to show the calculation is it:

For spent points/vouchers:

500 points = £5

500 points/£5 = £100

So you have to spend £100 to get a £5 voucher.

Points/vouchers per pound:

500 points / £100 = 5

5 points = £1


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


looks about right yeah
Reply 11
Original post by Zacken
looks about right yeah


It confused me because I thought for points per pound it would simply be 500 points/ £5 = 100 vouchers per pound.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Quick Reply