# Math Help - area

1. ## area

hello everybody
The area of 5% of an island is 3km squared. What is the area of the whole island? Thank you.

2. Originally Posted by Sweeties
hello everybody
The area of 5% of an island is 3km squared. What is the area of the whole island? Thank you.
Well, let A be the area of the island.

$.05A = 3$
$A = \frac{3}{.05} \Rightarrow 3*20 = 60$

3. Think of 5% as a fraction. 5% is the same as saying $\frac{1}{20}$. What do you get when you consider 3km is $\frac{1}{20}$ of a larger number?

4. Originally Posted by Sweeties
hello everybody
The area of 5% of an island is 3km squared. What is the area of the whole island? Thank you.
if x is the total area of the island? how do you represent the 3km?
ans: 5% of x = 3km

5. Originally Posted by XIII13Thirteen
Think of 5% as a fraction. 5% is the same as saying $\frac{1}{20}$. What do you get when you consider 3km is $\frac{1}{20}$ of a larger number?
I got the answer using colby2152 's method. But how would you do it using this one? I couldn't get it.

6. Originally Posted by Sweeties
I got the answer using colby2152 's method. But how would you do it using this one? I couldn't get it.
$3=\frac{1}{20}A$

$3*20=A$

$A=60$

7. Sorry, I didn't want to create confusion. I thought I was putting it into a different context so you could look at it from a different perspective. Any of the listed methods will work, you should go with the one in which you are most comfortable. Colby gives a good example using either method.