A grocer wants to make a 10-pound mixture of peanuts and cashews that he can sell for $4.75 per pound. If peanuts cost $4.00 per pound and cashews cost $6.50 per pound, how many pounds of each should he use?

Let p = pounds of peanuts and let c = pounds of cashews. Write a system of equations that could be used to solve the problem.

Question

A grocer wants to make a 10-pound mixture of peanuts and cashews that he can sell for $4.75 per pound. If peanuts cost $4.00 per pound and cashews cost $6.50 per pound, how many pounds of each should he use?

Let p = pounds of peanuts and let c = pounds of cashews. Write a system of equations that could be used to solve the problem.

anonymous · Answer

3lbs of cashsews

whpalmer4 · Answer

Cost of $p$ pounds of peanuts is $4p$
Cost of $c$ pounds of cashews is $6.5c$

We have two equations:
$$p+c = 10$$We are making 10 pounds of the mixture

$$4p+6.5c = 10*4.75$$Cost of 10 pounds of the mixture at the desired price of $4.75/lb.

This is an unrealistic problem in that the poor grocer is expected to sell the mixture at cost!  Margins are thin in the grocery business, but that's ridiculous!