Question

The ratio of yellow tulip bulb to red tulip in a package is 2 to 3. There are 100 tulip in the package. How many of each color bulbs is there.

Answer 1

• Yellow: 40
• Red: 60

Explanation:

You have to distinguish the difference between a ratio of yellow bulb to red bulb and red bulb to total and yellow bulb to total. The totals are where you start.

2 bulbs out of 5 are yellow

3 bulbs out of 5 are red

Yellow

Set up the proportion for yellow. You could start with red.

• 2/5 = x / 100 Cross multiply
• 5x = 2 * 100 Combine the right.
• 5x = 200 Divide by 5
• 5x/5 = 200/5 Simplify
• x = 40 Answer 1. Yellow bulbs

Red

• 3/5 = x / 100 Cross multiply
• 5x = 3*100 Simplify
• 5x = 300 Divide by 5
• 5x/5 = 300/5 Simplify
• x = 60 Answer 2. Red bulbs.

Note: Yellow to red is 2/3