A group of 12 people plan to rent a van and agree to share equally the

Question

A group of 12 people plan to rent a van and agree to share equally the total cost of the rental, which is E dollars. If n of the people decide not to participate at the last minute, by how many dollars will each remaining person's share of the total cost increase?

(A) E/(12 - n)
(B) (12 - n)/E
(C) E/[12(12-n)]
(D) nE / [12(12-n)]
(E) (12-n)E/(12n)

(A) E/(12 - n) 
(B) (12 - n)/E 
(C) E/  
(D) nE /   
(E) (12-n)E/(12n)

CounterSniper · Answer

total cost =E
no of people willing to participate initially =12
initial cost for each =E/12
when n people decided not to participate
Cost for each =E/12-n

ufo9038 · Answer

So the increase = E/12 - E/(12-n) = nE/

D

CounterSniper · Answer

didnt read that ... Right :-D

ufo9038 · Answer

I guessed so too. Looked like the kinds of careless mistakes I made a lot :D

azur3 · Answer

Can you elaborate?
The result will be a negative number.
IMO it should look opposite, i.e. E/(12-n) - E/12

ufo9038 · Answer

Yes you're right. Sorry I overlooked.

Mo2men · Answer

Let E=120, cost per person= 120/12=10
 Let n=10 so cost per person=120/2=60

Increase by 60-10=50

Substituting in Choice C 120/24=5 wrong
 
Substituting in Choice D = 10 *120/24=50 correct

Answer D

mvictor · Answer

easiest approach is to give values for E and n
say E = 120
n=2

so initially, it was supposed to be 120/12 = 10$/pers
2 people refused, now new cost is 120/10 = 12$/pers
increase = 2$/pers

A - 120/10 = 12 -> that is the new average, not the increase per person. out
B - 10/120 -> 1/12 - nope.
C - 120/120 = 1 - nope
D - 2*120/12*10 = 2 - hold
E - 10*120/24 = 50 - way too big

D must be the answer.

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

The old cost per person is E/12. The new cost per person is E/(12 - n). Therefore, the cost increase per person is:

E/(12 - n) - E/12

Getting the common denominator of 12(12 - n), we obtain:

12E /   - (12 - n)E /

Combining the two fractions, we have:

(12E - 12E + nE) /

nE /

Answer: D

bumpbot · Answer

Hello from the GMAT Club BumpBot!

Thanks to another GMAT Club member, I have just discovered this valuable topic, yet it had no discussion for over a year. I am now bumping it up - doing my job. I think you may find it valuable (esp those replies with Kudos).

Want to see all other topics I dig out? Follow me (click follow button on profile). You will receive a summary of all topics I bump in your profile area as well as via email.

A group of 12 people plan to rent a van and agree to share equally the

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards

GMAT Problem Solving (PS) Questions

A group of 12 people plan to rent a van and agree to share equally the

Prep Toolkit

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards