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Example 3.32 from Elementary Algebra, 3.3 Solve Mixture Applications
Solve Mixture Applications: example 3.32
Henning is mixing raisins and nuts to make 10 pounds of trail mix. Raisins cost $2 a pound and nuts cost $6 a pound. If Henning wants his cost for the trail mix to be $5.20 a pound, how many pounds of raisins and how many pounds of nuts should he use?
Work it out on paper first. Then open the solution one step at a time, and stop as soon as you can finish on your own.
Solution
As before, we fill in a chart to organize our information.
The 10 pounds of trail mix will come from mixing raisins and nuts.
We enter the price per pound for each item.
We multiply the number times the value to get the total value.
Notice that the last line in the table gives the information for the total amount of the mixture.
We know the value of the raisins plus the value of the nuts will be the value of the trail mix.
Write the equation from the total values. Solve the equation. Find the number of pounds of nuts. 8 pounds of nuts Check.
Henning mixed two pounds of raisins with eight pounds of nuts.
Your turn
The book's Try It right after this example: same idea, new numbers. Only the answer is given.
Orlando is mixing nuts and cereal squares to make a party mix. Nuts sell for $7 a pound and cereal squares sell for $4 a pound. Orlando wants to make 30 pounds of party mix at a cost of $6.50 a pound, how many pounds of nuts and how many pounds of cereal squares should he use?
How did it go?