Final answer:
Sterling can make 12 cups of trail mix using the available ingredients.
Step-by-step explanation:
To determine how many cups of trail mix Sterling can make, we need to calculate the ratio of peanuts to chocolate candy. Since Sterling mixes 2 parts peanuts with 3 parts chocolate candy, we can say that for every 2 cups of peanuts, he uses 3 cups of chocolate candy. Therefore, the ratio of peanuts to chocolate candy is 2:3.
Given that Sterling has 18 cups of chocolate candy, we can set up a proportion to find out how many cups of trail mix he can make. We have the ratio 2:3 for peanuts to chocolate candy. Let x represent the number of cups of trail mix. The proportion is:
2/3 = x/18
Cross multiplying, we get 2 * 18 = 3x. Solving for x, we have 36 = 3x. Dividing both sides by 3, we find that x = 12.
Therefore, Sterling can make 12 cups of trail mix using the available ingredients.