Question

Imagine a balance beam with bricks on one end and coconuts on the other. Suppose the weight of 16 coconuts is equal to the weight of one brick. If 128 coconuts are placed on one end, how many bricks are needed to keep the balance beam even? (Use Tape Diagram)

a) 8 bricks are needed.
b) 16 bricks are needed.
c) 128 bricks are needed.
d) 256 bricks are needed.

Answer 1

To solve the balance problem, divide 128 coconuts by 16 to find how many bricks are equivalent to 128 coconuts. The result is 8 bricks, which is the correct answer to keep the balance beam even.

Step-by-step explanation:

The student has presented a balance problem in which the weight of 16 coconuts equals the weight of one brick. To solve this, let's use a tape diagram to visualize the weights. If 128 coconuts balance one side of the beam, since 16 coconuts equal the weight of one brick, we divide 128 coconuts by 16 to find out how many bricks are equivalent to 128 coconuts. Doing that calculation:

128 coconuts ÷ 16 coconuts per brick = 8 bricks

Therefore, 8 bricks are needed to keep the balance beam even when there are 128 coconuts on the other end. The correct answer is option a) 8 bricks are needed.