Final answer:
To solve this problem, we need to translate the given statement into an equation and then solve for the unknown number.
Step-by-step explanation:
To solve this problem, we first translate the given statement into an equation. The phrase '386% of what number is 579' can be written as:
x * 386% = 579
To solve for x, we need to divide both sides of the equation by 386%. Dividing by a percentage is the same as dividing by 100, so the equation becomes:
x * (386/100) = 579
Now we can solve for x by dividing both sides of the equation by (386/100), which is equal to 3.86.
x = 579 / 3.86
x ≈ 150. Just remember to round your answer to the nearest whole number, since the question does not specify any decimal places. Therefore, the correct answer is option a) 150.