Question

A farmer has 140 bushels of apples for sale at a farmer's market. He sells an average of 14 5/8 bushels each day. After 5 days, what is the change in the total number of bushels the farmer has for sale at the farmer's market?

A) -15
B) -5
C) 5
D) 15

Answer 1

After selling apples for 5 days, the farmer has 73 1/8 fewer bushels. This is calculated by multiplying the daily average sold by 5 and subtracting from the original total.

Step-by-step explanation:

The farmer starts with 140 bushels of apples. He sells 14 5/8 bushels each day, which we need to convert this to an improper fraction to make calculations easier. 14 5/8 becomes (14 × 8)/8 + 5/8 = 117/8 bushels daily. After 5 days, the total sold would be 5 days × 117/8 bushels/day = 585/8 bushels. To find the change, we subtract this amount from the initial 140 bushels. First convert 140 bushels into eighths which is 140 × 8/8 = 1120/8. So, 1120/8 - 585/8 = 535/8, which as a mixed number is 66 7/8 bushels. To find the change, we subtract the remaining bushels from the original amount which gives us 140 - 66 7/8. To find this, convert 140 to eighths, 140 × 8 = 1120/8. Then we subtract the two, which is 1120/8 - 535/8 = 585/8. Finally, we convert this back to bushels which is 585/8 ÷ 8/8 = 73 1/8 bushels. Thus, after 5 days, the farmer has 73 1/8 fewer bushels of apples for sale at the farmer's market.

Answer 2

The farmer sells 14 5/8 bushels each day for 5 days:

\(14 \frac{5}{8} \times 5 = 73\frac{1}{4}\) bushels

Subtracting this from the initial quantity:

Initial quantity = 140 bushels
Quantity sold = 73\(\frac{1}{4}\) bushels

\(140 - 73\frac{1}{4} = 66\frac{3}{4}\) bushels

Therefore, the change in the total number of bushels the farmer has for sale after 5 days is \(66\frac{3}{4}\) bushels, which is a decrease of 73\(\frac{1}{4}\) from the initial quantity. Converted to a whole number, this is approximately 67 bushels. Thus, the answer is closest to (D) 15.