Question

If the loss of 3500 kcal is equal to a loss of 1.0 lb, how many days will it take charles to lose 5.0 lb

Answer 1

We are missing an important piece of information needed to answer this question: the number of kcal Charles losses per day. However, we can come up with a general equation in which kcal/day is the only independent variable.

We know that it takes 3500 kcal to lose one pound. To lose 5 pounds, Charles needs to lose 5 x 3500 kcal = 17,500 kcal. 

To find how many days it takes Charles to lose 17,500 kcal (5 pounds), we must divide that amount by the number of kcal Charles loses per day. 
Here is the equation to calculate that number

Number of days= 17500 / (kcal per day)

If given calories, remember that 1000 calories = 1 kcal, and .001 kcal = 1 cal