Question

Myra works in the shipping department of a toy manufacturer. Toy cars weigh 6 pounds apiece and are shipped in a container that weighs 8 pounds when empty. Toy trucks, which weigh 5 pounds apiece, are shipped in a container weighing 16 pounds. When packed with toys and ready for shipment, both kinds of containers have the same number of toys and the same weight. What is the weight of each container? What is the number of toys?

Answer 1

Each container weighs 56 pounds when packed with toys, and there are 8 toys in each container. We found the number of toys by setting up equations for the weights of the containers and solving for the common variable representing the number of toys.

Step-by-step explanation:

To solve the problem regarding Myra who works in the shipping department, we set up two equations that account for the total weight of each type of container when full of toys. Let x represent the number of toys in each container.

• For toy cars: 6x (weight of cars) + 8 (weight of container) = Total weight
• For toy trucks: 5x (weight of trucks) + 16 (weight of container) = Total weight

Since both containers weigh the same when packed, we set the equations equal to each other:

6x + 8 = 5x + 16

Solving for x, we get:

x = 16 - 8

x = 8

There are 8 toys in each container. Now, to find the total weight of each container, we substitute x back into either one of the original equations:

6(8) + 8 = 48 + 8 = 56 pounds

Therefore, each container, when packed for shipment, weighs 56 pounds.