Replacing The Solution

Mixture Problems: Example 3: A tank has a capacity of 10 gallons. When it is full, it contains 15% alcohol. How many gallons must be replaced by an 80% alcohol solution to give 10 gallons of 70% solution? Solution: Step 1: Set up a table for alcohol. The alcohol is replaced i.e. removed and added. original concentration amount removed added result

Step 2: Fill in the table with information given in the question. A tank has a capacity of 10 gallons. When it is full, it contains 15% alcohol. How many gallons must be replaced by an 80% alcohol solution to give 10 gallons of 70% solution? Change all the percent to decimals. Let x = amount of alcohol solution replaced. original 0.15 10 removed 0.15 x added 0.8 x result 0.7 10

concentration amount

Step 3: Multiply down each column. original 0.15 10 0.15 10 removed 0.15 x 0.15 x added 0.8 x 0.8 x result 0.7 10 0.7 10

concentration amount multiply

Step 4: Since the alcohol solution is replaced, we need to subtract and add. original removed + added = result 0.15 10 0.15 x + 0.8 x = 0.7 10 1.5 0.15x + 0.8x = 7 Isolate variable x 0.8x 0.15x = 7 1.5

0.65x = 5.5

Answer: 8.46 gallons of alcohol solution needs to be replaced.

Example 4. Mixture problem 1. First: "36 gallons of a 25% alcohol solution" means: 25%, or one quarter, of the solution is pure alcohol. One quarter of 36 is 9. That solution contains 9 gallons of pure alcohol. Here is the problem:
How many gallons of 30% alcohol solution and how many of 60% alcohol solution must be mixed to produce 18 gallons of 50% solution?

"18 gallons of 50% solution" means: 50%, or half, is pure alcohol. The final solution, then, will have 9 gallons of pure alcohol. Let x be the number of gallons of 30% solution. Let y be the number of gallons of 60% solution. 1) 2) 2')
Total number of gallons Gallons of pure alcohol

x + y = 18 .3x + .6y = 9 3x + 6y = 90

Equations 1) and 2') are the two equations in the two unknowns. The solutions are: x = 6 gallons, y = 12 gallons. Example 5. Mixture problem 2. A saline solution is 20% salt. How much water must you add to how much saline solution, in order to dilute it to 8 gallons of 15% solution? (This is more an arithmetic problem than an algebra problem.) Solution. Let s be the number of gallons of saline solution. Now all the salt will come from those s gallons. So the question is, What is s so that 20% of s -- the salt -- will be 15% of 8 gallons? .2s = .15 8 = 1.2 That is, 2s = 12.

s = 6. Therefore, to 6 gallons of saline solution you must add 2 gallons of water. Example 6. Upstream/Downstream problem. It takes 3 hours for a boat to travel 27 miles upstream. The same boat can travel 30 miles downstream in 2 hours. Find the speeds of the boat and the current. Solution. Let x be the speed of the boat (without a current). Let y be the speed of the current. The student might review the meanings of "upstream" and "downstream," Lesson 25. We saw there that speed, or velocity, isdistance divided by time: v=
d t 27 =9 3

Therefore, according to the problem: Upstream speed = Downstream speed = Here are the equations: 1) 2)
Upstream speed: Downstream speed:

Upstream distance Upstream time

Downstream distance 30 = = 15 Downstream time 2

xy=9 x + y = 15

Enjoy! (The solutions are: x = 12 mph, y = 3 mph.)

Mixture Problems: Example 1: John has 20 ounces of a 20% of salt solution, How much salt should he add to make it a 25% solution? Solution: Step 1: Set up a table for salt.

original concentration amount

added

result

Step 2: Fill in the table with information given in the question. John has 20 ounces of a 20% of salt solution. How much salt should he add to make it a25% solution? The salt added is 100% salt, which is 1 in decimal. Change all the percent to decimals Let x = amount of salt added. The result would be 20 + x. original 0.2 20 added 1 x result 0.25 20 + x

concentration amount

Step 3: Multiply down each column. original 0.2 20 0.2 20 added 1 x 1x result 0.25 20 + x 0.25(20 + x)

concentration amount multiply

Step 4: original + added = result 0.2 20 + 1 x = 0.25(20 + x) 4 + x = 5 + 0.25x Isolate variable x x 0.25x = 5 4 0.75x = 1

Answer: He should add

ounces of salt.

Removing From The Solution

Mixture Problems: Example 2: John has 20 ounces of a 20% of salt solution. How much water should he evaporate to make it a 30% solution? Solution: Step 1: Set up a table for water. The water is removed from the original. original concentration amount Step 2: Fill in the table with information given in the question. John has 20 ounces of a 20% of salt solution. How much water should he evaporate to make it a 30% solution? The original concentration of water is 100% 20% = 80% The resulted concentration of water is 100% 30% = 70% The water evaporated is 100% water, which is 1 in decimal. Change all the percent to decimals. Let x = amount of water evaporated. The result would be 20 x. original 0.8 20 removed 1 x result 0.7 20 x removed result

concentration amount

Step 3: Multiply down each column. original 0.8 20 0.8 20 removed 1 x 1x result 0.7 20 x 0.70(20 x)

concentration amount multiply

Step 4: Since the water is removed, we need to subtract original removed = result 0.8 20 1 x = 0.70(20 x) 16 x = 14 0.7x

Isolate variable x x 0.7x = 16 14 0.3x = 2

Answer: He should evaporate 6.67 ounces of water.