Joy organized a large wedding. Guests had to choose their meal from beef, chicken, or vegetarian.

- [tex]\frac{1}{3}[/tex] of the guests chose beef.
- [tex]\frac{5}{12}[/tex] of the guests chose chicken.
- 69 of the guests chose vegetarian.

How many guests were at the wedding?



Answer :

To find the total number of guests at Joy's wedding, we need to set up an equation considering all the meals chosen.

Let's denote the total number of guests by [tex]\( T \)[/tex].

We know the following:
- [tex]\(\frac{1}{3}\)[/tex] of the guests chose beef.
- [tex]\(\frac{5}{12}\)[/tex] of the guests chose chicken.
- 69 guests chose vegetarian.

Given that these are the only meal choices, we can write an equation that sums these fractions to equal the total number of guests [tex]\( T \)[/tex]:

[tex]\[ \frac{1}{3}T + \frac{5}{12}T + 69 = T \][/tex]

First, we need to combine the fractions [tex]\(\frac{1}{3}\)[/tex] and [tex]\(\frac{5}{12}\)[/tex]. To do this, we find a common denominator for the fractions:

[tex]\[ \frac{1}{3} = \frac{4}{12} \][/tex]

So the equation becomes:

[tex]\[ \frac{4}{12}T + \frac{5}{12}T + 69 = T \][/tex]

Combine the fractions on the left side:

[tex]\[ \left(\frac{4}{12} + \frac{5}{12}\right)T + 69 = T \][/tex]

[tex]\[ \frac{9}{12}T + 69 = T \][/tex]

Simplify the fraction [tex]\(\frac{9}{12}\)[/tex]:

[tex]\[ \frac{9}{12} = \frac{3}{4} \][/tex]

Therefore, the equation now is:

[tex]\[ \frac{3}{4}T + 69 = T \][/tex]

Next, we'll isolate [tex]\( T \)[/tex] by subtracting [tex]\(\frac{3}{4}T\)[/tex] from both sides of the equation:

[tex]\[ 69 = T - \frac{3}{4}T \][/tex]

Simplify the right side:

[tex]\[ 69 = \frac{1}{4}T \][/tex]

To solve for [tex]\( T \)[/tex], multiply both sides by 4:

[tex]\[ T = 69 \times 4 \][/tex]

[tex]\[ T = 276 \][/tex]

Thus, the total number of guests at the wedding is:

[tex]\[ \boxed{276} \][/tex]