Final answer:
The cook at Elmtown Middle School should order 750 pounds of hamburger meat to make enough sloppy joes for 150 students.
Step-by-step explanation:
The cook at Elmtown Middle School needs to calculate how many pounds of hamburger meat to order for making sloppy joes. According to the given information, the cook needs 5 pounds of hamburger meat for every student planning to eat hot lunch on Monday. With an estimate of 150 students, the calculation would be:
Total pounds of meat needed = Number of students x Pounds of meat per student
Total pounds of meat needed = 150 students x 5 pounds/student
Total pounds of meat needed = 750 pounds
Therefore, the cook should order 750 pounds of hamburger meat for Monday's lunch.