Question

the aquarium has 3 more yellow fish than green fish. 60 percent of the fish are yellow. how many green fish are in the aquarium? write and solve a rational equation. show your work.

Explanation:

Step1: Define Variables

Let \( g \) be the number of green fish. Then the number of yellow fish is \( g + 3 \). The total number of fish is \( g+(g + 3)=2g + 3 \).

Step2: Set Up the Equation

Since 60% of the fish are yellow, we can write the rational equation: \(\frac{g + 3}{2g+3}=0.6\) (or \(\frac{g + 3}{2g + 3}=\frac{60}{100}=\frac{3}{5}\) for a fractional form).

Step3: Solve the Equation

Cross - multiply: \(5(g + 3)=3(2g + 3)\)
Expand both sides: \(5g+15 = 6g+9\)
Subtract \(5g\) from both sides: \(15=g + 9\)
Subtract 9 from both sides: \(g=6\)

Answer:

6