Question 350508
Sandy uses a 1/2-ton pickup (a truck that can carry 1000 pounds) to transport ingredients for mortar. 
Sand comes in 50-pound bags and 
cement comes in 40-pound bags. 
Mortar is made from five bags of sand for every bag of cement.
Equations:
50s + 40c  = 1000
s = 5c
-------------- 
Substitute for "s" and solve for "c":
50(5c) + 40c = 1000
290c = 1000
c = 3.448
---
Max number of cement bags is 3
Since s = 5c, s = 15 (# of bags of sand needed with 3 bags of cement.

=======================
Cheers,
Stan H. 
 
How many bags of each should Sandy load to make the most mortar possible? I need to use the four problem-solving steps (algebraic solution). Symbolic Representation.