A horse trainer has a bag of pink sugar mints for horse treats. She needs five treats per training session. The bag holds 42 mints. Which equation shows the number of horses that she can train and is a solution a viable option?

A. h/5 = 42 and h = 210, which is not viable
B. 5h = 42, so h = 8.4 horses, which is not viable
C. h - 5 = 42 and h = 47, which is not viable
D. 5h = 42, so h = 8.4 horses, which is viable

1 answer

To determine the correct equation and solution for the number of horses the trainer can train with 42 mints, we need to analyze how many training sessions can be conducted based on the number of treats available.

The trainer uses 5 mints for each training session. If we let \( h \) represent the number of training sessions (or horses, assuming each horse gets one session), we can set up the equation:

\[ 5h = 42 \]

This tells us that each training session requires 5 mints, and with 42 mints available, \( h \) would be the number of training sessions.

Now, solving for \( h \):

\[ h = \frac{42}{5} \] \[ h = 8.4 \]

This means the trainer can conduct 8 full training sessions (with 5 mints each) and will have some mints left over (specifically, 2 mints).

When considering if the solution is viable, since the number of training sessions must be a whole number (you cannot train a fraction of a horse in a session), the maximum number of horses she can train is 8.

Now, let’s look at the options provided:

A. \( h/5 = 42 \) and \( h = 210 \), which is not viable
– This is incorrect, as the equation isn't set up correctly for the scenario.

B. \( 5h = 42 \), so \( h = 8.4 \) horses, which is not viable
– This is the correct equation but reaches a fractional horse, which is indeed not viable.

C. \( h - 5 = 42 \) and \( h = 47 \), which is not viable
– This setup is incorrect for the context.

D. \( 5h = 42 \), so \( h = 8.4 \) horses, which is viable
– Again, this is the correct equation, but the conclusion that this is viable is incorrect since we cannot train a fraction of a horse.

So, while option B correctly states that \( h = 8.4 \), there are no viable options provided since training a fraction of a horse is not possible. The correct conclusion is that she can train a maximum of 8 horses, but none of the answers accurately reflect that.

Thus, for the context:

  • The best option based on the equation would be B, recognizing the limitation that we can only train whole horses.