Math  /  Algebra

QuestionJames has some apples and oranges. The ratio of apples and oranges is 2:52: 5 He has 15 oranges. How many apples does James have?

Studdy Solution

STEP 1

What is this asking? If James has a bunch of apples and oranges, and we know the relative amounts of each fruit and the exact number of oranges, how many apples does he have? Watch out! Don't mix up the ratio.
It's apples TO oranges, not the other way around!

STEP 2

1. Set up the ratio.
2. Solve for the number of apples.

STEP 3

Alright, so we know the ratio of apples to oranges is 2:52:5.
This means for every **2 apples**, James has **5 oranges**.
Let's write this as a fraction, where the **number of apples** is in the numerator and the **number of oranges** is in the denominator: Number of ApplesNumber of Oranges=25\frac{\text{Number of Apples}}{\text{Number of Oranges}} = \frac{2}{5}.

STEP 4

We know James has **15 oranges**.
Let's plug that into our fraction, replacing "Number of Oranges" with **15**: Number of Apples15=25\frac{\text{Number of Apples}}{15} = \frac{2}{5}.

STEP 5

To find the number of apples, we need to **isolate** "Number of Apples" on one side of the equation.
Right now, it's being divided by **15**.
To undo this division, we can **multiply both sides** of the equation by **15**.
Remember, what we do to one side, we *must* do to the other to keep things balanced!

STEP 6

So, we have 15Number of Apples15=251515 \cdot \frac{\text{Number of Apples}}{15} = \frac{2}{5} \cdot 15.
On the left side, the **15s divide to one**, leaving us with just the **Number of Apples**.
Awesome!

STEP 7

On the right side, we have 2515\frac{2}{5} \cdot 15.
We can think of **15** as 151\frac{15}{1}.
So, 25151=21551=305\frac{2}{5} \cdot \frac{15}{1} = \frac{2 \cdot 15}{5 \cdot 1} = \frac{30}{5}.
Now, we divide **30** by **5**, which gives us **6**.

STEP 8

Therefore, Number of Apples=6\text{Number of Apples} = 6.

STEP 9

James has **6 apples**.

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