Numerical Problem Solving Flashcards

A clerk is asked to find the average number of customer inquiries handled per day over the past week. The daily counts were: Monday (112), Tuesday (98), Wednesday (105), Thursday (115), and Friday (100). What was the average number of inquiries per day?

Answer: 106

To find the average, first sum the total number of inquiries: 112 + 98 + 105 + 115 + 100 = 530. Then, divide this total by the number of days (5). 530 / 5 = 106.

An office supply cabinet is meant to be stocked with staples and paper clips in a ratio of 2:5. If the current inventory shows 48 boxes of staples, how many boxes of paper clips are needed to maintain the correct ratio?

Answer: 120

The ratio is 2 boxes of staples for every 5 boxes of paper clips. Set up a proportion: 2/5 = 48/x. To solve for x (the number of paper clip boxes), you can see that 2 was multiplied by 24 to get 48. Therefore, you must also multiply 5 by 24. 5 * 24 = 120.

A department is purchasing new software licenses that cost $120 each. The vendor offers a 12% discount if 20 or more licenses are purchased. If the department buys 25 licenses, what is the total cost after the discount is applied?

Answer: $2,640

First, calculate the total cost before the discount: 25 licenses * $120/license = $3,000. Next, calculate the discount amount: $3,000 * 0.12 = $360. Finally, subtract the discount from the total cost: $3,000 - $360 = $2,640.

A clerk is reviewing a timesheet to calculate total project hours. The employee logged 3 hours and 30 minutes on Monday, 2 hours and 45 minutes on Tuesday, and 4 hours and 15 minutes on Wednesday. What is the total time spent on the project over these three days?

Answer: 10 hours, 30 minutes

First, add the whole hours: 3 + 2 + 4 = 9 hours. Next, add the minutes: 30 + 45 + 15 = 90 minutes. Since 60 minutes equals 1 hour, convert the 90 minutes to 1 hour and 30 minutes. Finally, add this to the hour total: 9 hours + 1 hour and 30 minutes = 10 hours and 30 minutes.

A clerk needs to ship a box containing 8 identical manuals. If each manual weighs 14 ounces and the empty box weighs 12 ounces, what is the total shipping weight of the package in pounds and ounces? (Note: 1 pound = 16 ounces)

Answer: 7 lbs, 12 oz

First, find the total weight of the manuals: 8 manuals * 14 oz/manual = 112 oz. Add the weight of the box: 112 oz + 12 oz = 124 oz. To convert this to pounds and ounces, divide by 16. 124 / 16 = 7 with a remainder of 12. This equals 7 pounds, 12 ounces.

A copy machine's counter shows that 12,450 copies were made in a 30-day month. The office was open for 22 of those days. If the cost per copy is $0.05, what was the average daily cost of copies for the days the office was open?

Answer: $28.30

First, find the average number of copies made on the days the office was open: 12,450 copies / 22 days = 565.91 copies per day (approximately). However, it is better to calculate the total cost first to avoid rounding errors: 12,450 copies * $0.05/copy = $622.50 total cost. Then, find the average daily cost: $622.50 / 22 days = $28.30.