Question

When he was measuring herbs on his balance scale, Neville placed a 1/2 gram weight, then a 1/5 gram weight, and finally a 1/8 gram weight before the scale balanced. How much did his herbs weigh?

Answer 1

Answer:
`(33)/(40)\ gm`

Explanation:

Given

Neville place three weights in the sequence

`(1)/(2)\ gm,(1)/(5)\ gm,(1)/(8)\ gm`

The total weight of the three weights is

`\Rightarrow (1)/(2)+(1)/(5)+(1)/(8)=(20+8+5)/(40)\\\\\Rightarrow (33)/(40)\ gm`

Thus, herbs weigh
`(33)/(40)\ gm`