FoxTrot by Bill Amend for January 25, 2015

Assuming that there are a total of 10 tests in the semester and each test would is worth 10 percent each.

Petey would need at least to score 9.22 or 9.3 for each test to get 83 percent.

In physics term, he were attached to another object by an inclined plane, wrapped helically around an axis.

Otherwise, there will be no way to know how many test left. Sorry, I grew up in Malaysia so I do not know the education system. So I generate my own hypothesis and the calculation is based on maximum marks is 100 percent.

I am guessing I am trying to hard to be funny

I assumed the same as possiblekim (am not a US citizen). Without knowing how many tests there are during the semester, it is impossible to solve the problem.

Possiblekim, your answer is only a decimal away (it should be 92,2222 % on each of the remaining 9 tests). This kind of error is familiar to me, I used to do things like that a LOT at school. :D

The way I see it, the answer is independent on how many tests there are. The first test score is 0 and is 10% of the semester grade. ALL the remaining tests, no matter how many, are 90% of the semester grade. So 90% of what equals 83? (Tests generally have a score of 0-100) If Peter averages 92.23 on ALL the remaining tests, 90% of that is 83.007. Is that close enough for most of you?

It doesn’t matter how many tests are left, only that they account for 90% of the grade. X * .9 = 83, X = 92.222… Since they’re after an average score it doesn’t matter what the individual scores are, as long as they average this or higher.

92.22222 % is correct. It doesn’t matter how many more tests there are. The question asks for the AVERAGE of the remaining 90% of the work.

LOL! Thank you John!

Whoops I miss the part on the average. But yeah 92.222% is the correct answer. However I stand by this. hanks Bill for making us think a little on Sunday though :DThe current situation for Petey was attached to another object by an inclined plane, wrapped helically around an axis

The message in Miss Flood’s note is quite simple, “Study for your geometry test or you will end up like Petey.”(I wouldn’t have commented without all those pretty colors.)

It’s great to be among other people who are not afraid to undertake math problems on Sunday morning. Keep up the good work people.

You folks are all wonderfully excited about solving the equation, but have overlooked the problem. Moonschott has the right idea. It’s not about the numbers, it’s about the study habits.

Do you know how many kids/parents ask “what grade do I need to get on this test/project/etc. to get an A/B/C/pass?” The mathematics teacher’s response is to have the kids figure it out on their own.

Genius! I can’t believe I never used this idea while teaching. Fox Trot was used frequently however!

I think Paige is right this time. Ms. Flood is losing her mind if she made this the only test prep.

Wait until I get my slide rule out of its case! It does not have a lot of pretty colors; it is white with black markings….@John Smith – your comment made me break into laughter! I loved it!

The question doesn’t ask what Petey needs to score on the rest of the tests for the year, the question is what does he need to score on EVERYTHING ELSE which would include homework and in-class participation. It’s a just a not-so-gentle prod to the kids to study for everything.

It seems oddly familiar because you are Petey, you big dummy!

Yeah, 92.22222222… assuming there are 9 tests left, each worth 10% of the grade.

83 × 9 = 830 / 10 = 92.222222…

I’m actually kinda impressed that Paige knows the difference between algebra and geometry!

Or, yes, average of 92.2222222… on everything else no matter how the “everything else” is divided.Everything else = 90% of the grade.

I disagree with MrJimCos. I think we got the joke, understood the “real life” problem, AND realized the “whole” of the cartoon includes the math problem. Everything is there in the cartoon, except the math problem solution. We are people who see a math problem and solve it for reasons of our own. Growing up I hated doing pages of math problems for school, but since then I look for them and then solve them for fun (OCD?) Sometimes cartoonists include math problems without solutions and I wonder if that artist is being lazy (assuming the math problem isn’t part of the punchline). Mr. Amend is good at including solvable math problems.

if the 0 is 10% of the grade, then the maximum score possible from the remaining text is 90, regardless of the number of tests, quizzes, homework assignments or whatever.

Thus, to get an 83, he must get average 83 out of 90 (83 / 90) or a 92.222

and it’s not just study habits but overall habits. I use to do no homework but aced the exams – still ended up with not so great grades since homework counted as a fair percentage of the final grade.

Wow, who knew comic strips were so serious? And here I’ve just been reading them because I like to laugh.

Paige is learning. Guess she figured out she had to do it herself after all those wrong answers from Jason.

Blew me away that some of the initial responses did not figure out the basic math to obtain the average *83%" on the remaining 90% of the tests.

My big question is how many of you had to use a calculator to figure it out?

It’s tempting to say that the answer is indeed 92.2… , but this isn’t soluble. The important words were “average grade”, and that’s a concept that becomes slippery if the tests are not all equal. Example:- There are two more tests, worth 10% and 80% respectively toward his final grade.- Each test has 100 points that can be awarded to achieve its full value..- Peter scores 30 points in test 2, but a perfect 100 points in test 3.- His grade for test 2 was 30%; his grade for test 3 was 100%. His AVERAGE (“mean”) grade was therefore (30+100)/2, or 65%.- However, his 30 points in test 2 are worth 3% towards his final score; his 100 points in test 3 are worth 80% towards his final score. Together with the 0% from the first test, he scraped together exactly 83%. Peter passes.- By manipulating the remaining number of tests, their relative weightings, and Peter’s scores in them, it’s possible to drive his AVERAGE grade just about as low as you like and still have him pass. Just have lots of very unimportant tests in which he scores nothing, and top up his results to a pass grade in one final, critical test.

guys, “petey the procrastinator is PETER!!!!!!!!, how did you not get this, that’s why he said” that seems oddly familiar somehow"!!!!!