Jasmine asked her classmates to name all the types of trees they found while on a field trip at a local park.

1/7
reported finding a birch tree.

7/9
reported finding a pine tree.

1/4
reported finding a maple tree.

11/23
reported finding an oak tree.

Based on the results, determine which statements are true and which statements are false.
Over half the students found a pine tree.

More students found a maple tree than a pine tree.

More students found a birch tree than an oak tree.

More students found a pine tree than a birch tree.

More students found a maple tree than an oak tree.

1 answer

To determine the truth of the statements, we first need to establish a common denominator for the fractions given for each type of tree. This will allow us to compare the reported findings directly.

The fractions given are:

  • Birch tree: \( \frac{1}{7} \)
  • Pine tree: \( \frac{7}{9} \)
  • Maple tree: \( \frac{1}{4} \)
  • Oak tree: \( \frac{11}{23} \)

The least common multiple (LCM) of the denominators (7, 9, 4, and 23) can be found to be 126:

  • For Birch: \( \frac{1}{7} = \frac{18}{126} \)
  • For Pine: \( \frac{7}{9} = \frac{98}{126} \)
  • For Maple: \( \frac{1}{4} = \frac{31.5}{126} \) (which is not possible, so it makes more sense to convert it directly)
  • For Oak: \( \frac{11}{23} = \frac{60}{126} \)

Now we can convert each fraction into a comparable number of students based on a hypothetical total (let's assume there are 126 students total). This yields:

  • Birch tree: 18 students
  • Pine tree: 98 students
  • Maple tree: 31.5 shouldn't be used since we can't have half students. Let's round that given the context to 31 (there could be a slight misunderstanding in numbers).
  • Oak tree: 60 students

Now, let's assess each statement:

  1. Over half the students found a pine tree.

    • True, because 98 out of 126 is more than half.
  2. More students found a maple tree than a pine tree.

    • False, because 31 is less than 98.
  3. More students found a birch tree than an oak tree.

    • False, because 18 is less than 60.
  4. More students found a pine tree than a birch tree.

    • True, because 98 is greater than 18.
  5. More students found a maple tree than an oak tree.

    • False, because 31 is less than 60.

In summary:

  1. True
  2. False
  3. False
  4. True
  5. False