Question

Lynn is making custom bricks. She combines 39 pounds of water and 48 pounds of brick dust in a mixing bucket. She spills 13 pounds of the mixture while stirring the contents. The mixture is then poured into small dirt holes to make bricks. Each brick requires 7 pounds of mixture, and the leftover mixture is washed out of the mixing bucket.
What is the greatest number of bricks Lynn can make?
bricks
How many pounds of mixture will be washed out of the bucket if Lynn makes the greatest number of bricks?

Answer 1

Lynn mixes 39 pounds of water with 48 pounds of brick dust, so the mixture has a total weight of 39 + 48 = 87 pounds.

13 pounds are spilled during mixing, so she's left with 87 - 13 = 74 pounds to turn into bricks.

7 pounds are needed for 1 brick, so she can make 10 bricks because 7 • 10 = 70 and 7 • 11 = 77, and 70 < 74 < 77.

If she uses the mixture to make 10 bricks, she uses up 70 pounds of it, which leaves 4 pounds to be washed out.