Ellen is in charge of parking at a golf tournament. Once the main lot is full, she must direct cars to park in the overflow lot. She must transport the patrons who parked in the overflow lot up to the main lot using a golf cart. Ellen can fit 3 patrons in a golf cart. There are 12 patrons who came in cars and 27 from a bus waiting in the overflow parking lot. How many golf carts does Ellen need to transport them? Give the rationale and then the answer.
Let's think step by step. There are a total of 12 patrons who came in cars + 27 from a bus = 39 patrons who need a ride to the main lot. 3 patrons can fit in each golf cart, so 39 patrons / 3 in a cart = 13 total carts.. The answer is: 13.

Pat's computer password is made up of several kinds of alphanumeric and symbol characters for security. He uses a string of eight random lowercase letters, a string half that length of alternating upper case letters and numbers, and one symbol on each end of the password. How many characters in all is Pat's computer password? Give the rationale and then the answer.
Let's think step by step. The second string of characters is half as long as the first string, so it is 8 / 2 = 4 characters long. The password has one symbol on each end, so it has 1 * 2 = 2 symbol characters. In all, Pat's computer password is 8 + 4 + 2 = 14 characters long.. The answer is: 14.

John runs a telethon to raise money. For the first 12 hours, he generates $5000 per hour. The remaining 14 hours, he generates 20% more per hour. How much total money does he make? Give the rationale and then the answer.
Let's think step by step. He gets 12 * 5000 = $60000 for the first 12 hours. For the next 14 hours, he gets 5000 * .2 = $1000 more per hour. So he gets 5000 + 1000 = $6000 per hour. So he gets 6000 * 14 = $84000. So in total, he makes 84000 + 60000 = $144,000.. The answer is: 144000.