At her brother’s birthday party, Lisa ate 80 pretzels, or 20% of a bag.

A tape diagram. Lisa ate 20 percent out of 100 percent of a bag of pretzels. She at 80 pretzels out of question mark in the bag of pretzels.

What steps should be used to find how many pretzels were in the whole bag? Check all that apply.
20 × 4 = 80
20 + 60 = 80
100 × 4 = number of pretzels in the bag
100 + 60 = number of pretzels in the bag
100 × 4 = 400 pretzels
100 + 60 = 160 pretzels

1 answer

To find how many pretzels were in the whole bag, we can take the information that Lisa ate 80 pretzels, which is 20% of the total bag.

Here's how you can approach the problem step by step:

  1. Understanding the relationship:

    • If 80 pretzels represent 20% of the total bag, we can set up the equation based on the percentage.
  2. Setting up the equation:

    • Since 20% corresponds to 80 pretzels, we can find 100% (the total) by using the fact that 100% is 5 times greater than 20% (because 100% divided by 20% equals 5).
    • This leads us to the calculation:
      • If 20% = 80 pretzels, then you can multiply 80 pretzels by 5 to find 100%:
      • \(80 \text{ pretzels} \times 5 = 400 \text{ pretzels}\).
  3. Checking the options provided:

    • Correct Steps:

      • 100 × 4 = number of pretzels in the bag: This implies recognizing that 100% is 4 times 20%, which isn’t laid out clearly in the options, but we can use \(80 \text{ pretzels} \times 5\) for clarity.
      • 100 × 4 = 400 pretzels: This correctly uses the multiplier to reach the final bag size.
    • Incorrect Steps:

      • 20 × 4 = 80: This is not necessary to find the total number of pretzels in the bag.
      • 20 + 60 = 80: This doesn't help find the total but just states a fact about parts of the 80 pretzels.
      • 100 + 60 = number of pretzels in the bag: This isn't relevant to the percentage to total relationship.
      • 100 + 60 = 160 pretzels: This is also incorrect as it misinterprets how to calculate the total.

Therefore, the correct options to find the number of pretzels in the whole bag are:

  • 100 × 4 = number of pretzels in the bag.
  • 100 × 4 = 400 pretzels.