A pharmacist has 40% and 60% iodine solutions on hand. How many liters of each iodine solution will be required to produce 6 liters of 50% iodine mixture?

Question

A pharmacist has 40% and 60% iodine solutions on hand.  How many liters of each iodine solution will be required to produce 6 liters of 50% iodine mixture?

Steve · Answer

If there are x liters of 40%, then the rest (6-x) is 60% so, add up the amounts of iodine... .40x + .60(6-x) = .50*6