Sunday Express Brain Teaser Cast Of A Play

[mikeb28]

I am totally stuck on this one, the published answer is seven. I wonder if anyone has any ideas please.
The cast of a play are paid £9.50 per person for each evening performance, and £6.25 per person for each matinee. For the play’s three-week run, they put on an evening performance every day except Sundays, and a matinee on Saturdays and Sundays only. The total amount paid to the entire cast is £292.50, which includes a bonus of £12 per person. How many people are in the cast of the play?

[bobbinwales]

You can either just try each number starting with 5 then 6 then 7 till you get there. Or you can do some algrbrA trickery by forming an equation...I'll leave it to pp or others..... but may have ago when I get home

[klazomaniac]

3 weeks minus sundays = 18 days @ 9.50 = 171
3 weeks @ only 2 days per week = 6 @ 6.25 = 37.5
171 + 37.5 = 208.5

subtract 208.5 from 292.50 = 84
divide 84 by 12 to give 7

[klazomaniac]

You need to find out the total earnings to attain how much was paid in bonus. The bonus equated to £84 and each actor was paid £12 in bonus. Therefore divide the £84 by £12 to see hown many actors was present in the cast.

[mikeb28]

Thanks for your answer and showing how you got it. I have checked in the paper and they said £9.50 and £6.50 per person, they should have said per performance. Many thanks