Fresh mushrooms are grown in a farm

Question

Fresh mushrooms are grown in a farm. Some of these are dried in an oven. A batch of fresh mushrooms weighs 5kg. The amount of water in these mushrooms is 92% of their weight.

 

(a) What is the weight of the dried mushrooms if all the water were to be removed?

 

(b) What is the weight of the mushrooms at a stage when they are partially dried and the amount of water is 60% of the total weight?

Answer 1

(a) What is the weight of the dried mushrooms if all the water were to be removed?

 

The weight of the water is 92% of the total weight.  [note: 92% may be written as (92/100) or o.92 as needed by the problem.]

     (92/100)*5 = 4.60 kg

     Weight of mushrooms = 5 kg - 4.60 kg - 0.40 kg

 

(b) What is the weight of the mushrooms at a stage when they are partially dried and the amount of water is 60% of the total weight?

      Total weight  =  (weight of water)  +  (weight of dried mushrooms)

      Total weight  =  (60/100)(total weight) + (weight of dried mushrooms)

      (40/100)(Total weight) = 0.40 kg

      (Total weight) = 1 kg                    [note:  0.4 kg mushrooms and 0.6 kg (that is, 60%) water]

 

Answer 2

Wt of water = 5 kg x 0.92 = 4.6 kg

a)  wt dried mushrooms = 5 kg - 4.6 kg = 0.4 kg

b)  5 kg x 0.6 = 3 kg = wt. of water.  Wt. mushrooms = 5 kg - 3 kg = 2 kg