Use your notes, the resources available on the Intro Pages of Lesson 6, and the strategies we discussed in LiveLesson to write an algebraic equation based on the following scenario. Container A and Container B have leaks. Container A has 1200 oz of water, and is leaking 6 oz per minute. Container B has 1800 oz of water, and is leaking 10 oz per minute. Next, show each step necessary to solve the equation and answer the following: How many minutes, m, will it take for the two containers to have the same amount of water? (Bonus Question: How many ounces will be in each container at that time?)

1 answer

To solve the problem, we need to write equations that represent the amount of water remaining in each container over time.

Step 1: Define the variables.

  • Let \( m \) represent the number of minutes that have passed.

Step 2: Write the equation for each container.

  • For Container A:

    • Initial amount of water = 1200 oz
    • Leaking rate = 6 oz/min
    • Amount of water remaining after \( m \) minutes: \[ A = 1200 - 6m \]
  • For Container B:

    • Initial amount of water = 1800 oz
    • Leaking rate = 10 oz/min
    • Amount of water remaining after \( m \) minutes: \[ B = 1800 - 10m \]

Step 3: Set the equations equal to each other. To find the time \( m \) when both containers have the same amount of water: \[ 1200 - 6m = 1800 - 10m \]

Step 4: Solve the equation.

  • First, simplify the equation: \[ 1200 - 6m = 1800 - 10m \]

  • Rearranging gives: \[ 10m - 6m = 1800 - 1200 \]

  • Simplifying further: \[ 4m = 600 \]

  • Dividing both sides by 4: \[ m = 150 \]

Step 5: Find the amount of water in each container at that time. Now that we know it takes \( m = 150 \) minutes for both containers to have the same amount of water, we can find out how much water is in each container at that time.

  • For Container A: \[ A = 1200 - 6(150) = 1200 - 900 = 300 \text{ oz} \]

  • For Container B: \[ B = 1800 - 10(150) = 1800 - 1500 = 300 \text{ oz} \]

Final Answer: It will take 150 minutes for the two containers to have the same amount of water. At that time, each container will contain 300 ounces of water.