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Fifteen clowns decided to contribute equal amounts of money to buy a car. However, when three of the clowns backed out, the remaining clowns had to increase their payments by $500 apiece to compensate. How much did each remaining clown end up paying for his or her share of the car?

A. $1,000
B. $1,500
C. $2,000
D. $2,500
E. $3,000

let x be the share of each of the 15 clowns
15x = 12(x+500)
15x-12x=6000
3x=6000
x=2000

each remaining clown end up paying for his or her share of the car = 2000+500 = 2500

Hence option D is correct
Hit Kudos if you liked it 8-)

Yet when you choose 9 clowns instead the solution changes

9x = 6(x + 500)
3x = 3000
x = 1000

Then the payment would be 1500 :( :(

If you change the question and make it total 9 clowns and 3 back out, the answer will certainly change. Why is that surprising?
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Bunuel
Fifteen clowns decided to contribute equal amounts of money to buy a car. However, when three of the clowns backed out, the remaining clowns had to increase their payments by $500 apiece to compensate. How much did each remaining clown end up paying for his or her share of the car?

A. $1,000
B. $1,500
C. $2,000
D. $2,500
E. $3,000

15c = 12 (c + 500)

Or, 15c = 12c + 6000

Or, 3c = 6000

Or, c = 2000

Thus in the end each clown paid $ 2500 each, answer will be (D)
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X = how much each clown in the original 15 paid
X + 500 = how much each clown in the remaining 12 paid
15*X = this is equal to the total cost of the car when the fifteen clowns each paid X amount.
12*(X + 500) = this is also equal to the total cost of the car, but signifies that the remaining twelve clowns each had to pay extra $500.

Thus 15*X = 12*(X + 500)
15*X = 12*X + 6000
3*X = 6000
X = 2000

Must remember that the question is asking for how much the *remaining* clowns paid. The remaining clowns paid X + 500. Hence the answer is $2,500 (Option D).
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We have 15 clowns but 3 backed out, remaining 12 clowns paying.

Multiplying the $500 that each of 12 clowns had to increase their payment we have $ 6,000 total.
500 * 12 = 6,000

Dividing the result by the number of clowns that backed out we find $ 2,000 per clown, that is the value that each of 15 had to pay originally

6,000 / 3 = $ 2,000

Considering that they are already payng $ 2,000 and now have to pay $ 500 more, they will pay $ 2,500 at the end.
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This was the funniest prompt I've read. I mean, if 15 guys gonna split the sum of one car, then they are definitely clowns. :lol:
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Remaining 12 people had a burden of 500 this amount is exactly given up by 3 of them who left

so 12(500) = 3x ( x is the original amount each contributed)

x = 2000

after burden new amount 2000 + 500

Option D
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Let initially each clown pays $x
ATQ,
15x=12x+12*500
15x-12x=6000
x=6000/3
x=2000
so, 2000 and 500 which they are paying since 3clowns have refused to pay... that makes 2500
[D]
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