Question

Mixing two kinds of candy the price of which was $2 and $4 per pound, Ella got a 10-lb mix of candy, which cost $2.90 per pound. How many pounds of each kind of candy were used for the mix?

Answer 1

• 4.5 pounds of $4 candy
• 5.5 pounds of $2 candy

Explanation:

Let x represent the number of pounds of higher-priced candy used in the mix. Then 10-x is the weight of the lower-priced candy. The cost of the mix is ...

4x + 2(10-x) = 10(2.90)

2x = 9 . . . . . subtract 20, collect terms

x = 4.5 . . . . .divide by the coefficient of x

4.5 pounds of $4 candy and 5.5 pounds of $2 candy were used in the mix.