Question

a medical provider is doing a study to determine the average time spent waiting before an appointment. the current average wait time is 19 minutes, which is 5% shorter than the average was when the study started. what was the average wait time then?
minutes

Explanation:

Step1: Define the relationship

Let the average wait time when the study started be \( x \). The current average wait time (19 minutes) is 5% shorter than \( x \), so the current wait time is \( x - 0.05x = 0.95x \).

Step2: Solve for \( x \)

We know that \( 0.95x = 19 \). To find \( x \), we divide both sides of the equation by 0.95: \( x=\frac{19}{0.95} \).

Step3: Calculate the value

\( \frac{19}{0.95} = 20 \).

Answer:

20