Question

If `x` and `a` equals `59`, what is the value of `x` if `a=30%`?

Answer 1

`x=41.3`

Explanation:

Assuming that `a` is 30% of 59, we would first find out what `a` is by finding 30% of 59, or doing `59*0.3`.
`59*0.3=17.7`
Now we can just do `59-17.7` to find `x`.
`59-17.7=41.3`
`x=41.3`

You can also find `x` by multiplying 59 by 0.7, because you know that `a` is 30% of 59 so `x` must be the other 70%.

Answer 2

As written `x=58 7/10`
but the question may be interpreted as meaning something different from what was actually written.

Explanation:

If the relation was meant to be `x+a=59` with `a=30%` (as written)
then `a=30/100=3/10`

`x+3/10=59`

`rarr x+3/10color(blue)(-3/10)=59color(blue)(-3/10)`

`rarr x=58 7/10`

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If the relation was meant to be `x+a=59%` (that is the `59` was intended to be a percentage)

`x+30%=59%`

`rarr x+30%color(blue)(-30%)=59%color(blue)(-30%)`

`rarr x=29%`

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Shadow (whose answer currently appears below) seems to have interpreted the relation as something like: `x xx a =59`

`x xx 30% =59`

`rarrx xx 3/10 =59`

`rarrx xx 3/10 color(blue)(xx 10/3)=59color(blue)(xx 10/3)`

`rarrx=590/3=196 2/3`