College

A new drug to treat the symptoms of a cold brought relief to [tex]\frac{9}{10}[/tex] of the patients who took it, and [tex]\frac{5}{6}[/tex] of those patients felt improvement within 3 days. What fraction of the total number of patients in the study felt improvement within 3 days of taking the drug? Write the answer in simplest form.

A. [tex]\frac{45}{60}[/tex]
B. [tex]\frac{5}{6}[/tex]
C. [tex]\frac{9}{12}[/tex]
D. [tex]\frac{3}{4}[/tex]

Answer :

To solve this problem, we need to find out what fraction of the total number of patients felt improvement within 3 days after taking the drug.

1. Start with the given fractions:
- The fraction of patients who got relief from taking the drug is [tex]\(\frac{9}{10}\)[/tex].
- The fraction of these relieved patients who felt improvement within 3 days is [tex]\(\frac{5}{6}\)[/tex].

2. Multiply the fractions to find the total fraction of patients who felt improvement:

[tex]\[
\frac{9}{10} \times \frac{5}{6} = \frac{9 \times 5}{10 \times 6} = \frac{45}{60}
\][/tex]

3. Simplify the fraction [tex]\(\frac{45}{60}\)[/tex]:
- Both the numerator (45) and the denominator (60) can be divided by their greatest common divisor, which is 15.

[tex]\[
\frac{45 \div 15}{60 \div 15} = \frac{3}{4}
\][/tex]

So, the fraction of the total number of patients in the study who felt improvement within 3 days of taking the drug is [tex]\(\frac{3}{4}\)[/tex].