Two hours ago, a store owner started his day with some pears and lemons in the ratio of 5 : 4. There were 72 lemons. Some of the pears were bought by Erika. As a result, the number of pears became
56 of the lemons.
- How many pears did the store owner have left?
- How many pears did the store owner have to buy in order to have an equal number of pears and lemons?
|
Pears |
Lemons |
Before |
5x3 = 15 u |
4x3 = 12 u |
Change |
- ? |
|
After |
5x2 = 10 u |
6x2 = 12 u |
(a)
The number of lemons remains unchanged. Make the number of lemons the same. LCM of 4 and 6 is 12.
12 u = 72
1 u = 72 ÷ 12 = 6
Number of pears that the store owner had left
= 10 u
= 10 x 6
= 60
(b)
Number of pears that the store owner had to buy to have an equal number of pears and lemons
= 12 u - 10 u
= 2 u
= 2 x 6
= 12
Answer(s): (a) 60; (b) 12