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Basic Math/word problem

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Expert: Josh - 8/20/2009


Question
A grocer purchased a quantity of bananas at 3 pounds for $0.50 and sold the entire quantity at 4 pounds for $1.00. How many pounds did the grocer purchase if the profit from selling the bananas was $10.00?


Answer
Hi Shruti,

Let us convert each set of numbers to a unit price.
Before: 0.5/3 [dollar/pound]
After:  1.0/4 [dollar/pound]

The unknown here is the quantity of banana, X.

The profit is given by the difference of the purchase price, (0.5/3)*X, and selling price, (1/4)*X.

So, we set 10 = [(1/4)-(0.5/3)]*X.

This gives X = 10/(0.25-0.166666...) = 120 pound

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Josh

Expertise

When I work through problems, I like to emphasize concepts which I believe are worth noting. I will try to answer questions in the following areas, but not at the advanced level. Algebra. Sequences & Series. Trigonometry. Functions & Graphs. Coordinate Geometry. Quadratic Polynomials. Exponential & Logarithms. Basic Calculus. Probability, Permutation and Combination. Mathematical Induction. Complex numbers. Physics problems.

Experience

I have worked as a teaching assistant in college. My hope is that more people will share knowledge without boundary, give help without seeking recognition or monetary rewards.

Education/Credentials
Bachelor degree in Engineering Science

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