Five hours ago, a grocer started his day with some pears and lemons in the ratio of 5 : 2. There were 40 lemons. Some of the pears were bought by Elyse. As a result, the number of pears became
35 of the lemons.
- How many pears did the grocer have left?
- How many pears did the grocer have to buy in order to have an equal number of pears and lemons?
|
Pears |
Lemons |
Before |
5x5 = 25 u |
2x5 = 10 u |
Change |
- ? |
|
After |
3x2 = 6 u |
5x2 = 10 u |
(a)
The number of lemons remains unchanged. Make the number of lemons the same. LCM of 2 and 5 is 10.
10 u = 40
1 u = 40 ÷ 10 = 4
Number of pears that the grocer had left
= 6 u
= 6 x 4
= 24
(b)
Number of pears that the grocer had to buy to have an equal number of pears and lemons
= 10 u - 6 u
= 4 u
= 4 x 4
= 16
Answer(s): (a) 24; (b) 16