collected trash while cleaning his yard.He 1st put in 8 lb.then noticed one of his books in the can!He resccued the book,which weighed 3 lb.He filled the can up with another 12 lb of trash.How much does the empty can weigh?
2007-03-06 07:47:21 · 2 answers · asked by broken heart 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Other - Science
Ok take it one step at a time. He added 8 pounds, took out 3, leaving 5 pounds of trash. He added another 12, meaning he now has 5 plus 12=17 pounds of trash. But the whole can weighs 21 pounds, which means that the can itself must be 4 pounds because:
21pounds total minus 17 pounds of trash= 4 pounds for the can.
2007-03-06 07:52:49 · answer #1 · answered by bloggerdude2005 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Let x = empty can's weight
x + 8 - 3 + 12 = 21
x + 17 = 21
x = 21 - 17
x= 4
2007-03-06 15:51:31 · answer #2 · answered by Someone 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋