Question

When he was measuring herbs on his balance scale, Neville placed a 1/2 gram weight, then a 1/5 gram weight, and finally a 1/8 gram weight before the scale balanced. How much did his herbs weigh?

Answer 1

Answer:  $\dfrac{33}{40}\ gm$

Step-by-step explanation:

Given

Neville place three weights in the sequence

$\dfrac{1}{2}\ gm,\dfrac{1}{5}\ gm,\dfrac{1}{8}\ gm$

The total weight of the three weights is

$\Rightarrow \dfrac{1}{2}+\dfrac{1}{5}+\dfrac{1}{8}=\dfrac{20+8+5}{40}\\\\\Rightarrow \dfrac{33}{40}\ gm$

Thus, herbs weigh  $\frac{33}{40}\ gm$