Alright, we can turn the word problem at the beginning into an equation. Let's represent oregano with "o" and peppercorns as "p". o=p+17 Also, we know that the two added together are 253 pounds. o+p=253 Since we know that o=p+17, let's substitute it into the second equation. (p+17)+p=253 2p+17=253 -17 -17 2p=236 p=118 So, we have 118 pounds of peppercorns. (Although it's irrelevant to the second half of the equation, we also know we have 135 pounds of oregano) Now, let's convert pounds to ounces. 1 pound = 16 ounces. So, multiply 118 by 16.... 118*16=1888 So, you can make 1888 one-ounce bags of peppercorns.
