alcohol. How much of each should be mixed to get 20 ounces of a solution
which is 8% alcohol?
SOLUTION:
GOAL: You are being asked to find the amounts of each solution that need
to be mixed to get 20 ounces of an 8% solution.
STRATEGY: Letx¼the amount of the 10% solution and 20 x¼the
amount of the 5% solution; then set up a table as follows:
Amount Percent ¼ Amount of pure
Mixture 1 x 10% 10%x
Mixture 2 20 x 5% 5%(20x)
Mixture 3 20 8% 8%(20)
The equation is
Mixture 1 þ Mixture 2 ¼Mixture 3
10 %x þ 5 %ð 20 xÞ¼ 8 %ð 20 Þ
IMPLEMENTATION: Solve the equation:
10%xþ5%(20x)¼8%(20)
Change the percents to decimals before solving the equation.
0 : 10 xþ 0 : 05 ð 20 xÞ¼ 0 : 08 ð 20 Þ
0 : 10 xþ 1 0 : 05 x¼ 1 : 6
0 : 05 xþ 1 ¼ 1 : 6
0 : 05 xþ 1 1 ¼ 1 : 6 1
0 : 05 x¼ 0 : 6
148 LESSON 14 Solving Mixture Problems