Nathan can compare the number of fruits he has by substituting their values (number) in the place of b and p in the equation.
The expression (12b + 12p) represents the total number of fruits Nathan has for making 12 kebabs, where:
- b is the number of bananas per kebab.
- p is the number of pineapples per kebab.
The expression is essentially calculating the total number of bananas and pineapples Nathan has for 12 kebabs.
Consider the following:
- 12b represents the number of bananas for 12 kebabs.
- 12p represents the number of pineapples for 12 kebabs.
When you add these two together, 12b + 12p, you get the total number of fruits (bananas and pineapples combined) that Nathan has for making 12 kebabs.
So, Nathan can use the expression (12b + 12p) to check if he has enough of each type of fruit (bananas and pineapples) to make 12 kebabs by comparing it to the actual number of each fruit he has.