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| Question 272438:  How many ounces of a 20% alcohol solution must be mixed with 15 ounces of a 25% alcohol solution to make a 23% alcohol solution?
 Answer by oberobic(2304)
      (Show Source): 
You can put this solution on YOUR website! In solving "solutions" problems, you have to keep track of the amount of pure stuff you need at the end. .
 x = ounces of 20% alcohol solution to add to the 15 oz of 25% solution
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 15 oz of a 25% solution = 3.75 oz of pure alcohol
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 The total amount can be described 15+x ounces.
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 We solve the problem in terms of the amount of pure alcohol
 .2x + 3.75 = .23(15+x)
 .2x + 3.75 = 3.45 + .23x
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 Subtracting .2x from both sides
 3.75 = .03x + 3.45
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 Subtracting 3.45 from both sides
 .3 = .03x
 Multiply by 100
 30 = 3x
 Divide by 3
 10 = x
 x = 10
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 So, you have to add 10 oz of 20% alcohol solution to 15 oz of 25% alcohol.
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 Always check your work.
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 At the end we would have 25 oz that we believe would be 23% alcohol.  If that is true, then we would have:
 .23 * 25 = 5.75 oz of pure alcohol in the solution.
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 We have shown (above) that we have 3.75 oz of pure alcohol in the 15 oz of 25% solution.
 How many oz of pure alcohol is there in 10 oz of 20% alcohol?
 .2*10 = 2 oz
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 3.75 + 2 = 5.75 oz, which is exactly what we needed
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 check the question to be sure you answer it at the end...
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 How many ounces do you need to add?
 You need to add 10 ounces of 20% alcohol solution.
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