document.write( "Question 1163002: The total number of pears and oranges in a basket was 980. after a third of the pears and 230 oranges were sold, the ratio of pears to oranges left became 2:3. What was the ratio of pears to oranges at first??
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Algebra.Com's Answer #786939 by ikleyn(52864) $\"\"$ $\"About$

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document.write( "Let x be one third of the number of pears initially.\r\n" );
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document.write( "Then the number of pears initially was 3x, and the number of oranges was 980-3x initially.\r\n" );
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document.write( "After one third of pears was sold, 3x-x = 2x pears remained.\r\n" );
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document.write( "After 230 oranges were sold, (980-3x)-230 = (750-3x) oranges remained.\r\n" );
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document.write( "From the condition, you have this equation\r\n" );
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document.write( "     = .\r\n" );
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document.write( "Equivalently,\r\n" );
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document.write( "    3*(2x) = 2*(750-3x),\r\n" );
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document.write( "    6x     = 1500 - 6x\r\n" );
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document.write( "    6x + 6x = 1500\r\n" );
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document.write( "    12x     = 1500\r\n" );
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document.write( "      x     =  = 125.\r\n" );
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document.write( "So, the number of pears originally was 3*125 = 375.\r\n" );
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document.write( "Hence, the number of oranges originally was  980 - 375 = 605,\r\n" );
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document.write( "and the ratio of pears to oranges initially was   = .    ANSWER\r\n" );
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\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "From my post, the major lesson to you is to learn on how I chose the major unknown.\r
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\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "I selected it in such a way to avoid working with fractions.\r
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