problem solving with charts: how many boxes?

santasad13

Junior Member
Joined
Jan 26, 2006
Messages
50
Can someone help me? I don't understand how to do my homework. Here is a sample question:

Find the total weight of the boxes of pecans in a shipment of 3-lb boxes of pecans and 2-lb boxes of walnuts, given that:

1) there were 24 fewer 2-lb boxes of walnuts than 3-lb boxes of pecans, and
2) the total weight of the shipment was 462 lbs.

Here is the given chart:

Code:
	     | weight  |  number  |  total |
        | per box × of boxes = weight |
--------|---------|----------|--------|
pecans  |         |          |        | 	
walnuts |         |          |        |
--------|---------|----------|--------|
Here is what I can figure out:

Code:
	     | weight  |  number  |  total |
        | per box × of boxes = weight |
--------|---------|----------|--------|
pecans  |    3    |          |        | 	
walnuts |    2    |          |        |
--------|---------|----------|--------|
Thanks for any help
 
Are you doing equations yet, or doing guess-n-check with the numbers?

For instance, one arithmetic (that is, non-equation) method would be to find the total poundage for pecans and walnuts, using the smallest numbers possible:

. . . . .1W + 25 P = 1(2) + 25(3) = 2 + 75 = 77

But this is 462 - 77 = 385 pounds too light. For every additional box of walnuts, there is one additional box of pecans, for a total increase of five pounds. How many five-pound increases would account for the 385-pound shortage?

Add that many boxes of each.

Eliz.
 
we are doing equations
i dont quite understand what you mean. i also now know the answer,309. it was in the back of the book. but i still need to figure out how to get there

Thank you for helping
 
santasad13 said:
i dont quite understand what you mean.
i) Twenty-six boxes, being one box of walnuts and twenty-five boxes of pecans, has what total weight? (This was computed earlier.)

ii) How much total weight do you need? (This is given in the exercise.)

iii) How much short of this weight are the twenty-six boxes? (Hint: Subtract (i) from (ii).)

iv) Since you have to keep the boxes in amounts that give you twenty-four more boxes of pecans than of walnuts, you have to add pairs of boxes (one each of walnuts and pecans). How much does one pair weigh? (Hint: Add the two single-box weights.)

v) How many pairs of boxes do you need, in order to get the required total weight? (Hint: Divide the result from (iii) by the result from (iv).)

vi) Once you have figured out how many additional pairs of boxes you need, to get the weight up to a total of 462 pounds, then you can find the total numbers of boxes: Add your number from (v) to the "1" to get the total number of boxes of walnuts, and to "25" to get the total number of boxes of pecans.

Hope that helps!

Eliz.
 
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