Analyzing PC Production and Sale Data

This question requires us to analyze the provided table which shows the year-wise production and sale percentages of Personal Computers (PCs) for two companies, A and B, from 2014 to 2019. We need to find the total number of PCs produced by Company A that remained unsold across all these six years.

Understanding the Data Table

The table provides the following information for each year:

• Number of PCs produced by Company A (in thousands).
• Number of PCs produced by Company B (in thousands).
• Percentage of PCs sold by Company A.
• Percentage of PCs sold by Company B.

Calculating Unsold PCs for Company A

To find the number of unsold PCs for Company A in a particular year, we first need to determine the percentage of PCs that were not sold. This is simply 100% minus the percentage of PCs that were sold.

Percentage of Unsold PCs = \(100\% - \text{Percentage of Sold PCs}\)

Then, we multiply the total number of PCs produced in that year by the percentage of unsold PCs. Remember that the production numbers are given in thousands, so we need to multiply by 1000.

Number of Unsold PCs = \(\text{Number of PCs Produced} \times \left( \frac{\text{Percentage of Unsold PCs}}{100} \right)\)

Step-by-Step Calculation for Company A (2014-2019)

Let's calculate the number of unsold PCs for Company A for each year:

• Year 2014: Produced = 40,000 Sold = 60% Unsold Percentage = \(100\% - 60\% = 40\%\) Unsold PCs = \(40,000 \times \frac{40}{100} = 40,000 \times 0.40 = 16,000\)
• Year 2015: Produced = 52,000 Sold = 75% Unsold Percentage = \(100\% - 75\% = 25\%\) Unsold PCs = \(52,000 \times \frac{25}{100} = 52,000 \times 0.25 = 13,000\)
• Year 2016: Produced = 60,000 Sold = 50% Unsold Percentage = \(100\% - 50\% = 50\%\) Unsold PCs = \(60,000 \times \frac{50}{100} = 60,000 \times 0.50 = 30,000\)
• Year 2017: Produced = 70,000 Sold = 80% Unsold Percentage = \(100\% - 80\% = 20\%\) Unsold PCs = \(70,000 \times \frac{20}{100} = 70,000 \times 0.20 = 14,000\)
• Year 2018: Produced = 72,000 Sold = 40% Unsold Percentage = \(100\% - 40\% = 60\%\) Unsold PCs = \(72,000 \times \frac{60}{100} = 72,000 \times 0.60 = 43,200\)
• Year 2019: Produced = 90,000 Sold = 60% Unsold Percentage = \(100\% - 60\% = 40\%\) Unsold PCs = \(90,000 \times \frac{40}{100} = 90,000 \times 0.40 = 36,000\)

Total Unsold PCs for Company A

To find the total number of PCs produced by Company A that remained unsold in all six years together, we sum the unsold PCs from each year:

Total Unsold PCs (Company A) = Unsold (2014) + Unsold (2015) + Unsold (2016) + Unsold (2017) + Unsold (2018) + Unsold (2019)

Total Unsold PCs (Company A) = \(16,000 + 13,000 + 30,000 + 14,000 + 43,200 + 36,000\)

Total Unsold PCs (Company A) = \(152,200\)

Thus, the total number of PCs produced by Company A which remain unsold in all the six years together is 152,200.

Revision Table - Company A Unsold PCs

Additional Information - Data Interpretation Tips

When solving data interpretation problems involving tables and percentages, keep the following tips in mind:

• Carefully read the question to understand exactly what is being asked (e.g., total production, total sold, total unsold, difference, average, etc.).
• Pay attention to units (e.g., thousands, lakhs, millions). Always convert to the base unit if calculations require it.
• Understand the percentages. A percentage sold means that portion of the total produced was sold. The remaining portion was unsold.
• Break down complex calculations into smaller steps, year by year if necessary.
• Use a table or list to organize intermediate results, especially when summing values over multiple years.
• Double-check your calculations, especially when dealing with percentages and large numbers.
• Remember that percentage unsold = 100% - percentage sold.