Answer this question:John decides to go back to school to get his PhD. He first takes 1 year of courses to get acclimated back to school life before starting his PhD. After that, he spends 2 years learning the basics of his field. He then starts research, and he spends 75% more time on research than he did learning the basics. He then spends half as long on writing his dissertation as his acclimation period. How long did it take him to do everything?
It took him 2 * .75 = 1.5 years longer to do his research than it took to learn the basics. So it took him a total of 2 + 1.5 = 3.5 years to do research. His dissertation took 1 / 2 = .5 years to write. So everything together took 1 + 2 + 3.5 + .5 = 7 years.
The answer is 7.

Answer this question:Jason waits on a customer whose check comes to $15.00. Jason's state applies a 20% tax to restaurant sales. If the customer gives Jason a $20 bill and tells him to keep the change, how much is Jason's tip?
First calculate how much the tax is by multiplying $15.00 by 20%: $15.00 * .2 = $3.00. Then subtract the cost of the meal and the tax from $20 to find Jason's tip: $20 - $15.00 - $3.00 = $2.00.
The answer is 2.

Answer this question:Stoney Hollow Middle School is taking a field trip to the zoo. There are 109 fifth graders, 115 sixth graders, and 118 seventh graders. There are 4 teachers and 2 parents from each grade coming along to chaperone on the trip. There are 72 seats on each school bus. How many buses are needed for the field trip?
There are 109 fifth graders + 115 sixth graders + 118 seventh graders = 342 students going on the trip. There are 4 teachers + 2 parents = 6 adults going on the field trip for each grade. There are 3 grades going, so 3 grades x 6 adults / grade = 18 total adults going on the trip. There are 342 students + 18 adults = 360 people going on the trip. So, 360 people / 72 seats = 5 buses.
The answer is 5.

Answer this question:Charlotte needs to know how much money to have with her when she goes to the shoe store. How much money should Charlotte bring to buy a pair of boots, if the original price is $90 and there is a discount of 20%?
The amount of the discount is 20 / 100 * $90 original price = $18. Charlotte needs to bring the $90 - $18 discount = $72.
The answer is 72.