In a school, 60 percent of the students are girls. If the number of boys is 480, what is the total number of students in the school?

Introduction / Context:
This is a straightforward percentage composition question. It checks the ability to relate the percentage of one group to the whole and deduce the total when the count of another group is known.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Girls form 60 percent of the total students.
• Boys form the remaining 40 percent.
• Number of boys = 480.
• We need to find the total number of students.

Concept / Approach:
If 40 percent of the total equals 480, then the total can be obtained by dividing 480 by 0.40. This uses the definition percentage = (part / whole) * 100 reversed to find the whole from a known part and percentage.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Let total number of students = T.Boys are 40 percent of T, so 0.40 * T = 480.Therefore, T = 480 / 0.40.Compute T = 480 / 0.4 = 480 * (10 / 4) = 480 * 2.5 = 1200.So total students = 1200.

Verification / Alternative check:
Check the girl count: 60 percent of 1200 = 0.6 * 1200 = 720 girls. Boys are 40 percent of 1200 = 480, which matches the given number. This validates the total of 1200 students.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Values 840, 96 and 1320 are not consistent with 480 representing 40 percent. For example, 40 percent of 840 is 336, not 480, so 840 cannot be the total.

Common Pitfalls:
Some students mistakenly divide 480 by 0.60 or treat 480 as 60 percent rather than 40 percent. Others confuse the direction of the percentage relationship. Carefully identify which group corresponds to which percentage before setting up the equation.

Final Answer:
The total number of students in the school is 1200.