Answer:
35 pears
Explanation:
To make the ratio of apples to pears in the fruit basket 2:3, we need to find out how many pears we need to add.
The current ratio of apples to pears is 12:7. To make it 2:3, we need to multiply both sides of the ratio by a common factor that will transform 12 into 2 and 7 into 3.
Let's find that common factor:
12 : 2 = 6
7 : 3 = 2.333...
Since 12 can be transformed into 2 by dividing by 6, and 7 can be transformed into 3 by multiplying by 2, the common factor is 6.
Now, let's multiply both sides of the original ratio by 6:
12 * 6 : 7 * 6 = 72 : 42
So, the ratio of apples to pears after adding the appropriate number of pears to the basket to make it 2:3 would be 72:42.
To find out how many pears we need to add, we can subtract the current number of pears (7) from the desired number of pears (42):
42 - 7 = 35
Therefore, we need to add 35 pears to the basket to make the ratio of apples to pears 2:3.