Question

Please help me understand how to work problems like these!

A company sells a container of mixed nuts that is 50% peanuts and another container that is 80% peanuts.

How many cups of each mixture would be needed to make 105 cups that is 60% peanuts?

70 cups of the 50% peanuts and 35 cups of the 80% peanuts
35 cups of the 50% peanuts and 70 cups of the 80% peanuts
55 cups of the 50% peanuts and 50 cups of the 80% peanuts
50 cups of the 50% peanuts and 55 cups of the 80% peanuts

Answer 1

hi

Answer 2

u there?

Answer 3

yes!

Answer 4

I really do not understand this question

Answer 5

well it is a bit tricky :)
you do know a bit about percentages right ?

Answer 6

Yes a little

Answer 7

have a look at the end of the question,
it says the final result is 105 cups of 60% peanuts

that means the peanuts would completely fill 60% of 105 cups

Answer 8

following ?

Answer 9

yes

Answer 10

@alexandriagrable

Answer 11

ok so, whats 60% of 105
can you calculate?

Answer 12

63?

Answer 13

yes that is correct :)

i hope you followed my logic. what i'm saying is if we filled 105 cups with 60% peanuts in each, it would be the same as completely filling 63 cups with peanuts(60% of 105)

Answer 14

okay. I dont think im following

Answer 15

wait so i'd need to do the same thing to the 2 other containers?

Answer 16

wait no. i dont understand

Answer 17

do you know algebra?
if you do, we can try another approach

Answer 18

yeah, i mean i should...

Answer 19

is there like a specific equation that could be used?

Answer 20

ok,
so let 'x' be the number of 50% peanut cups we need
and let 'y' by the number of 80% peanut cups we need

Answer 21

.5x+.8y=.6

Answer 22

is that right?

Answer 23

very close, 0.6 should be multiplied with something

Answer 24

105?

Answer 25

yes

Answer 26

.5x+.8y=63

Answer 27

but can you write 105 in terms of x and y?

Answer 28

i dont understand

Answer 29

x is the total number of 50% cups required
and y is the total number of 80% cups required

so the total number of cups should be x+y, and as the question says, the total number of cups =105

x+y=105

Answer 30

followed?

Answer 31

oh so the substitution method should be used

Answer 32

@baru

Answer 33

I got the answer. its A

Answer 34

aagh, sorry
this website can get on my nerves sometimes

Answer 35

how did you get A?

Answer 36

which equations did you solve?
how did you solve them?

Answer 37

I used the substitution method with

x+y=105
and
.5x+.8y=63

Answer 38

But thanks, you helped a lot!

Answer 39

yes, that is correct :)