Question

Holly is buying milk. She needs 5 liters. A half-liter of milk costs $2.32. A 250-milliliter container of milk costs $1.22. What should Holly buy so she gets 5 liters at the lowest price?

a) Eight 250-milliliter containers
b) Ten half-liter containers
c) Sixteen 250-milliliter containers
d) Fourteen half-liter containers

Answer 1

The best option for Holly to purchase 5 liters of milk at the lowest cost is option b, ten half-liter containers at $2.32 each, totaling $23.20.

Step-by-step explanation:

Calculating the Best Milk Purchase Option

Holly needs to determine which option allows her to buy 5 liters of milk at the lowest cost. The options available are buying milk in half-liter containers at $2.32 each or in 250-milliliter containers at $1.22 each. To help Holly decide, we need to calculate the total cost for each option to get to 5 liters.

For the half-liter options:

• Option b: 10 half-liters (which is 5 liters) at $2.32 each would cost 10 x 2.32 = $23.20.
• Option d: 14 half-liters (7 liters) at $2.32 each would provide more than needed and hence is inefficient for exactly 5 liters.

For the 250-milliliter options:

• Option a: 8 x 250-milliliters (which is 2 liters) is not sufficient for 5 liters.
• Option c: 16 x 250-milliliters (which is 4 liters) is also not sufficient for 5 liters.

After comparing the costs, it is evident that option b, purchasing ten half-liter containers, is the best choice for Holly to get exactly 5 liters of milk at the lowest possible cost.