Final answer:
To prepare a 100 g solution of 18 percent salt, Olga needs to combine approximately 15.25 g of salt and approximately 84.75 g of water.
Step-by-step explanation:
To prepare a 100 g solution of 18 percent salt, Olga needs to combine water and salt. Let's assume she needs to combine x grams of water and y grams of salt.
The total mass of the solution will be x + y grams. Since the solution is 18 percent salt, the mass of the salt will be 0.18 times the total mass of the solution: 0.18(x + y) grams.
Therefore, our equation becomes:
x + y = 100 (to get a 100 g solution)
0.18(x + y) = y (to get 18 percent salt)
From the first equation, we can rewrite it as:
x = 100 - y
Substituting this value of x in the second equation:
0.18(100 - y) = y
Simplifying this equation, we get:
18 - 0.18y = y
18 = 1.18y
y = 18/1.18
y ≈ 15.25 g
So, Olga needs to combine approximately 15.25 g of salt and approximately 84.75 g of water to make a 100 g solution of 18 percent salt.