Is there any FReeper Math whizzes that can help us?

[netmilsmom]

Okay, we have tons of algebra programs that can work with numbers but do not have any help with Story problems.

Can anyone tell us the formula for solving this, step by step.

Nine pounds of Sweet Potatoes cost the same as Six pounds of Apples. One pound of Sweet Potatoes cost twice as much as one pound of Onions. While a pound of Apples costs 24 cents more than a pound of Onions.

(we can't solve it with NO integers)

Can anyone tell us how to do this?

[alancarp]

Uh.... no. Sorry.

[votemout]

LOL.

[Pan_Yan]

My wife grew up in Milford.

I would have assumed all your math problems would have been in caliber.

If you have 1500 rounds for your .45 and 500 rounds for your 30-06, how many drug dealers can you kill and still have enough ammo for home protection? Assume two shots per kill and an average distance of 200 feet. Factor for wind and taxation. Show all work.

Explain how your answer would be different at night.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

It’s a simple set of simultaneous linear equations. It’s really high school math. You can solve it by Gaussian elimination without much problem, but it so simple that that isn’t necessary.

Let’s solve it by hand. You have three equations and three unknows. Let’s call the price per pound of sweet potatoes Xsw, the price per pound of apples Xa and the price per pound of onions, Xo. Let’s rephrase your problem algebraically:

1.) Nine pounds of Sweet Potatoes cost the same as Six pounds of Apples.

9 * Xsw = 6 * Xa

simplifying:

Xsw = 2 * Xa / 3

Xa = 3 * Xsw /2

2.) One pound of Sweet Potatoes cost twice as much as one pound of Onions.

Xsw = 2 * Xo

Xo = Xsw/2

3.) While a pound of Apples costs 24 cents more than a pound of Onions.

Xa = Xo + 0.24

We previously solved for the price of apples and onions in terms of sweet potatoes so plug those values into equation 3. :

3 * Xsw / 2 = Xsw/2 + 0.24

Subtract Xsw/2 from both sides

3 * Xsw /2 - Xsw/2 = 0.24

Xsw = 0.24

Substitute back into equation 1 and 2 to get

Xa = 3 * Xsw /2 = 0.36

Xo = Xsw/2 = 0.12

You can substitute back into the original problem to verify that all constraints are met.

Let me know where you shop, btw.

[Professional Engineer]

[Kirkwood]

put decimal points onto each number and that will avoid the constraint about not using integers.

[xsmommy]

OMG that is hilarious!

[JenB]

Let’s use some fake numbers to see.

Let’s pretend that one pound of onions costs $1. What will one pound of sweet potatoes cost? Twice as much, or $2. Now pretend that instead of the $ you write O, for onion. Now you get O costs 1O, and S costs 2O.

Does that make more sense that way?

[Pikachu_Dad]

OOPS

Eventually you will get to..

So apples cost $0.36/lb; sweet potatoes cost $0.24/lb and Onions cost $0.12/lb.

I set the Sweet Potato price to .24 more than the Onions...

[Pan_Yan]

So apples cost $0.72/lb; sweet potatoes cost $0.48/lb and Onions cost $0.24/lb.

Uhhmmm.... apples are .24 more than onions, not .48 more. Get Ash out of bed and have him show you again.

[RJL]

define variables

SP=sweet potatoes
O=onions
A=apples

Looks like it's been solved, but I was leaning toward:

= SOAP

[alancarp]

[Pan_Yan]

[Kirkwood]

“(N) Onions = $0.12/lb
(A) Apples = $0.36/lb
(P) Potatoes = $0.24/lb”

Look at those prices. Is this problem from the 1960s? No wonder it is confusing to a kid.

[Pan_Yan]

[SoftballMominVA]

My advice? Send the kid to school tomorrow and challenge the teacher to solve it using the technique she taught it with.

Kids should never have homework that hasn’t been reviewed in class

....my opinion

[netmilsmom]

No, actually it still doesn’t.

I’m just thick but is something is twice something else then the value should be two times that.

So I can’t get past
2s = o

If s is twice the cost of o.

I’m just math dumb.

[Tanniker Smith]

Looking for a math teacher??? At your service!

Nine pounds of Sweet Potatoes cost the same as Six pounds of Apples.

So 9P = 6A (where the variables are, hopefully, obvious)

One pound of Sweet Potatoes cost twice as much as one pound of Onions.

P = 2N (never use "O" as a variable).

While a pound of Apples costs 24 cents more than a pound of Onions.

A = N + 24

Okay, so I'm assuming that you need to figure all three out?

Eliminate P first, giving you only A and N to work with.
P = 2N and 9P = 6A so, 9(2N) = 6A or 18N = 6A

But we know that A is N + 24, so substitute:

18N = 6(N + 24) = 6N + 144

From there, it's a two-step solution to find N, plug it into the other equations and you get A and P.

Hope this helps -- assuming someone else didn't already give you the answer already.

[netmilsmom]

We homeschool.

We are all challenged at this point.

[dr_lew]

Nine pounds of Sweet Potatoes cost the same as Six pounds of Apples.

I feel a song coming on ...