A manager expects to do about 120 covers this Friday night. Usually, about one in five people orders pasta. About half of those
people order a dinner portion, and half order the half portion. If a dinner portion is ten ounces and a half portion is 5 ounces, how much pasta will he need for the night?
The correct answer is 180 ounces. According to the information provided, the manager expects 120 people that night. The probability of ordering pasta is 1 in 5, which means that 24 of the 120 people visiting the restaurant will order pasta (120/5 = 24). Half of these people (12) are expected to order a dinner portion and half (12) will order the half portion. Since, the dinner portion weighs 10 ounces, 12 people will need 120 (12*10) ounces. Also, the half portion weighs 5 ounces, so 12 people will need 60 (12*5) ounces. In total, he will need 120+60=180 ounces of pasta.
