Where Do People Get Most of Their Medical Information?
| Source | Percent of those surveyed |
|---|---|
| Doctor | 63% |
| Internet | 13% |
| Magazines/brochures | 9% |
| Pharmacy | 6% |
| Television | 2% |
| Other/none of the above | 7% |
The table above summarizes 1,200 responses to a survey question.
Based on the table, how many of those surveyed get most of their medical information from either a doctor or the Internet?
A survey table that gives percentages and asks about two categories is a percent part-whole problem. If each response belongs to one category, add the two percentages, then take that share of the full survey. Desmos can calculate the percent of the total directly. Watch whether the question asks for a percent or a number of people.
Hints
- Hint 1
The word either includes people in one named group or the other. Because the table lists different sources, their percentages add. Which two rows match the question?
- Hint 2
A percent is a share of a whole, not a count of people. Once you have the combined share, take that percent of everyone surveyed to get the count.
Step-by-step
Combine the shares, then find the count
Step 1Find the share in either source
Each response belongs to one source row, so doctor or Internet means add those two nonoverlapping shares: . Type in Desmos; it shows . So the two sources account for of those surveyed.
- Step 2
Turn the share into a number of people
The whole is all responses. The question asks how many people, not what percent, so take the combined percent of the full survey total. Type in Desmos; it shows . So people get most of their medical information from a doctor or the Internet. Choice C.