Abstract
IF a student obtains 37 out of 50 in one paper, 50 or full marks in a second, and 71 out of 100 in another, what is his percentage on the three taken together? If we add the marks as they stand we get 158 out of 200, or 79 per cent. If, on the other hand, we double the marks on the first two papers, we have 74 per cent., 100 per cent., and 71 per cent. If we add these we get 245 out of 300, or 81 per cent. Will any of your mathematical readers kindly tell me which of these two different results is the true percentage for the three papers taken together? The answer may be very obvious; I can see that the two results must be different, but I cannot see which is the more correct method to use.
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CUNNINGHAM, J. A Question of Percentages. Nature 81, 159 (1909). https://doi.org/10.1038/081159c0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/081159c0
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