Exercising causes an athlete's body to loss potassium, and it is important to replenish this nutrient after a race.

Question

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 _.

A. add 0.54 + 0.372 and subtract the sum from 4.5
B. subtract 4.5 - 0.54
C. subtract 4.5 - 0.372 then add 0.54 to the difference
D. add 0.54 + 0.372 +4.5

Answer 1

To solve the problem of how many more grams of potassium the athlete needs to reach the recommended amount, you need to first calculate the total potassium intake from the banana and the orange juice, and then subtract that total from the recommended daily intake of 4.5 grams.

1. Calculate the total potassium consumed:

   • From the banana: 0.54 grams
   • From the orange juice: 0.372 grams
   • Total potassium = 0.54 + 0.372

2. Then, subtract the total potassium from the recommended amount:

   • Needed potassium = 4.5 - (0.54 + 0.372)

Considering the options provided, the correct method is:

A. add 0.54 + 0.372 and subtract the sum from 4.5.

This accurately represents the process of finding how much more potassium the athlete needs.