Example

Solving a Trail Mix Mixture Problem Using a System of Equations

When applying the standard problem-solving strategy to a food mixture application, a system of linear equations is used to determine the exact amounts of two ingredients. For example, if a person wants to prepare 2020 pounds of trail mix using nuts (priced at $9.00\$9.00 per pound) and chocolate chips (priced at $2.00\$2.00 per pound) with a target budget of $7.60\$7.60 per pound, two variables can be defined: let nn represent the pounds of nuts and cc represent the pounds of chocolate chips. The first equation represents the total weight constraint: n+c=20n + c = 20. The second equation represents the total cost constraint (the value of the nuts plus the value of the chips equals the value of the entire mixture): 9n+2c=20(7.60)9n + 2c = 20(7.60), which simplifies to 9n+2c=1529n + 2c = 152. This forms a system of two equations. To solve by elimination, the first equation can be multiplied by 2-2 to give 2n2c=40-2n - 2c = -40. Adding this to the second equation yields 7n=1127n = 112, meaning n=16n = 16. Substituting 1616 back into the first equation (16+c=2016 + c = 20) reveals that c=4c = 4. After verifying the total cost (16(9)+4(2)=144+8=15216(9) + 4(2) = 144 + 8 = 152), it is concluded that 1616 pounds of nuts and 44 pounds of chocolate chips are needed.

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Updated 2026-05-25

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