Question

A farmer has 140 bushels of wheat to sell at his roadside stand. He seeks an average of 16 1/4 bushels each day. Represent the total change in the number of bushels he has for sale.

a) -140 + (16 1/4) = -140 + 16.25 = -123.75
b) -140 - (16 1/4) = -140 - 16.25 = -156.25
c) -140 x (16 1/4) = -140 x 16.25 = -2275
d) -140 ÷ (16 1/4) = -140 ÷ 16.25 = -8.6154

Answer 1

The correct mathematical operation to represent the farmer's remaining bushels of wheat after selling an average of 16 1/4 bushels in one day is subtraction, yielding 123.75 bushels.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question regarding the farmer with 140 bushels of wheat who seeks an average of 16 1/4 bushels sold each day represents a real-life application of mathematical operations to determine the change in inventory over time. In this case, neither subtraction, multiplication, nor division accurately represents the total change in the number of bushels for sale. Instead, the problem requires an understanding of the daily rate of sale and its impact on the total over a given period. To represent the total change after one day, you would use subtraction (option a correct): initial amount - (rate of sale * number of days). If he sells 16 1/4 bushels in one day, the equation correctly representing the remaining bushels after one day would be 140 - 16 1/4 = 140 - 16.25 = 123.75 bushels.