Four hours ago, a store owner started his day with some starfruits and pears in the ratio of 5 : 4. There were 120 pears. Some of the starfruits were bought by Tiffany. As a result, the number of starfruits became
25 of the pears.
- How many starfruits did the store owner have at first?
- How many pears did the store owner have to sell in order to have an equal number of starfruits and pears?
|
Starfruits |
Pears |
Before |
5x5 = 25 u |
4x5 = 20 u |
Change |
- ? |
|
After |
2x4 = 8 u |
5x4 = 20 u |
(a)
The number of pears remains unchanged. Make the number of pears the same. LCM of 4 and 5 is 20.
20 u = 120
1 u = 120 ÷ 20 = 6
Number of starfruits that the store owner had at first
= 25 u
= 25 x 6
= 150
(b)
Number of pears that the store owner had to sell to have an equal number of starfruits and pears
= 20 u - 8 u
= 12 u
= 12 x 6
= 72
Answer(s): (a) 150; (b) 72