set up a proportion and solve

Question

a) One gallon is equivalent to 3.78541 liters. If a fish tank holds 10.2 gallons, how many liters will the tank hold?


b) Jon A. Gold picked 4 more bushels of apples than Mac N. Tosh. If Jon picked 5 bushels for every 3 bushels Mac picked, how many total bushels did they pick?

Answer 1

3.78541 liters / 1 gallon = x liters / 10.2 gallons

10.2(3.78541) = x liters

38.611182 = x liters

 

b = bushels Mac picked

b + 4 = bushels Jon picked

 

Jon = 5/3 of Mac

b + 4 = 5/3 b

4 = 2/3 b

12 = 2 b

6 = b

 

They picked 16 bushels.

Answer 2

a)

 

Ratio of liters = ratio of gallons

 

3.78541 / x = 1 / 10.2

 

 

x = the number of liters at 10.2 gallons.

 

 

Cross-multiply.  Then solve for x.

 

 

b)

 

Let the number of bushels Jon picked = x + 4

Let the number of bushes Mac picked = x

 

 

We can set up an equation that describes the situation using the variables.

 

5(x + 4) = 3x

 

5x + 20 = 3x

 

 

Solve for x.

 

5x + 20 = 3x

 

 

After solving for x, substitute the value into the variables.