Five friends are planning a 4-day hiking trip. They want to take a meal bar for each
lunch. If meal bars are sold in packages of three, how many packages must they buy?
STRATEGY: Read the question two or three times to be
sure you understand what it says.
Solve:
STRATEGY: Write out the proportion to avoid careless errors.
5 bars X bars
------------ = ------------
1 day 4 days
Solve by cross multiplying: 5 bars x 4 days = 1 day x X bars
5 x 4 = 1 x X
20 bars = X
Now divide 20 bars by 3 bars per package.
20 / 3 = 6.6 packages
Answer:
STRATEGY: Read the question again to be sure
you know what it asks.
SAT TIP: The "problem" is in the wording.
The answer is not 20 meal bars, nor is the answer 6.6 packages.
Since they must buy complete packages, the answer is 7 (7 packages).
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