Exercising causes an athlete’s body to lose potassium, and it is important to replenish this nutrient after a race. For middle-school students, the recommended amount of potassium intake is 4.5 grams per day. If a student athlete eats a banana containing 0.54 grams of potassium, and drinks 6 ounces of orange juice containing 0.372 grams of potassium, how many more grams of potassium does she need? How can you find how many more grams of potassium the athlete needs to reach the recommended amount? To solve this problem, I would

Answer 1

To find out how many more grams of potassium the athlete needs to reach the recommended daily intake, you can follow these steps:

1. Calculate Total Potassium Intake: First, you'll need to sum the potassium content from the banana and the orange juice.

   • Potassium in Banana: 0.54 grams
   • Potassium in Orange Juice: 0.372 grams

   Total potassium intake = Potassium in Banana + Potassium in Orange Juice

   \[ \text{Total potassium} = 0.54 \text{ grams} + 0.372 \text{ grams} = 0.912 \text{ grams} \]

2. Determine Recommended Daily Intake: The recommended amount of potassium for middle-school students is 4.5 grams per day.

3. Calculate Additional Amount Needed: Now, subtract the total potassium intake from the recommended daily intake.

   \[ \text{Additional potassium needed} = \text{Recommended intake} - \text{Total potassium} \] \[ \text{Additional potassium needed} = 4.5 \text{ grams} - 0.912 \text{ grams} = 3.588 \text{ grams} \]

So, the athlete needs approximately 3.588 grams more potassium to reach the recommended amount of 4.5 grams for the day.