Final answer:
To determine how many bars of soap are needed to wash 5 3/4 dozens of pants, a proportion is set up that compares bars of soap to dozens of pants. After solving, you would need 15 1/3 bars of soap.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question asks how many bars of soap are needed to wash 5 3/4 dozens of pants if 2 2/3 bars of soap are used for one dozen pants. To solve this, set up a proportion that compares the number of bars of soap to the number of dozens of pants.
- First, convert the mixed numbers to improper fractions: 2 2/3 becomes 8/3 and 5 3/4 becomes 23/4.
- Next, create a proportion: (8/3 bars)/(1 dozen) = (x bars)/(23/4 dozens).
- Solve for x by cross-multiplying: (8/3) * (23/4) = x * 1.
- After calculating, x equals to 46/3 bars or 15 1/3 bars of soap.
You would need 15 1/3 bars of laundry soap to wash 5 3/4 dozens of pants.