Multiple choice

A restaurant blends two sauces: one contains 25% chili, while the other contains 55% chili. If 8 litres of the first sauce are mixed with a certain quantity of the second sauce to produce a mixture that is 45% chili, how many litres of the second sauce are required?

  1. 13

  2. 16

  3. 18

  4. 21

  5. 23
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Let x be the quantity of the second sauce. The total chili content is 0.25(8) + 0.55(x) = 0.45(8 + x). Solving this gives 2 + 0.55x = 3.6 + 0.45x, so 0.10x = 1.6, which means x = 16.

AI explanation

Using the rule of alligation, the ratio of the first sauce to the second sauce is (55 - 45) : (45 - 25), which equals 10 : 20 or 1 : 2. The given quantity of the first sauce is 8 litres, so setting up the proportion 1 / 2 = 8 / x gives the quantity of the second sauce as x. Solving for x yields 16 litres of the second sauce required.

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