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20 Jul 2004, 14:43
A

1. Realize that if there were 12 more shares and 15 more dollars, the shares are worth more than a dollar a share, so there would have to be less than 160. Cancel out c, d, e.

2. Now there are at least three ways of doing it, all of which depend on who you are and how you think. I'll put as many below as I can think of - I think they're all fine and expediant. Remember - if you're spending time looking for the most sophisticated way, you could be just wasting time, especially if you know how to do it algebraically.

Method 1: Algebra
160/x = 175/(x+12)

That's because each stock is worth the same, so if you divide the 160 by the number of shares, or 175 by the number of shares plus 12, you get the same answer. Solve for x = 128.

Method 2: 12 more shares cost $15, so that means each one cost$1.25. So 160/1.25. To do this quickly, convert 1.25 into 5/4 (I LOVE FRACTIONS!) Now you've got 160/(5/4) = 160x4/5 = 32x4 = 128.

Method 3: Once you've cancelled c,d,e, you can plug in a or b and see what happens. One will work and one won't, but either way, after just one time through, you'll have your answer.
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15 Nov 2007, 14:21
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yogachgolf wrote:
Last year Mrs. Long received $160 in dividends on her shares of Company X stock, all of which she had held for the entire year. If she had had 12 more shares of the stock last year, she would have received$15 more in total annual dividends. How many shares of the stock did she have last year?

(A) 128
(B) 140
(C) 172
(D) 175
(E) 200

A - 128

$15 for 12 shares - thus$1.25 per share - so 160/1.25 = 128
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15 Nov 2007, 14:24
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yogachgolf wrote:
Last year Mrs. Long received $160 in dividends on her shares of Company X stock, all of which she had held for the entire year. If she had had 12 more shares of the stock last year, she would have received$15 more in total annual dividends. How many shares of the stock did she have last year?

(A) 128
(B) 140
(C) 172
(D) 175
(E) 200

A. 128

160/n = 175/(n+12)
x = 128
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23 Nov 2009, 06:46
and why ?

lets consider Mrs Long has "n" shares of Company X. dividend is paid on the basis of the number of shares held for a certain duration (here one year) then dividend per share is 160/n.

q says that if she had 12 more shares she would had got 15$more. so 160/n = (160+15)/(n+12). solving this we get n=128. SVP Joined: 30 Apr 2008 Posts: 1887 Location: Oklahoma City Schools: Hard Knocks Followers: 40 Kudos [?]: 578 [0], given: 32 Re: question explanation [#permalink] ### Show Tags 23 Nov 2009, 09:39 12 more shares =$15 more is 15/12 to get the per share cost. That's 1.25, or 5/4 per share

so $$\frac{5}{4}=\frac{160}{n}$$ = $$\frac{4*160}{5}$$ = 4*32 = 128.

reduce where you can
Last year Mrs. Long received $160 in dividends on her shares of Company X stock, all of which she had held for the entire year. If she had had 12 more shares of the stock last year, she would have received$15 more in total annual dividends. How many shares of the stock did she have last year?
(A) 128
(B) 140
(C) 172
(D) 175
(E) 200

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23 Nov 2009, 11:11
kp1811 wrote:
dividend is paid on the basis of the number of shares held for a certain duration.

I knew I had to know this some time or the other!!!!
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23 Nov 2009, 11:37
SensibleGuy wrote:
kp1811 wrote:
dividend is paid on the basis of the number of shares held for a certain duration.

I knew I had to know this some time or the other!!!!

better late than never !!!!
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24 Jun 2016, 07:58
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