Problema Solution

Erica works in a soda-bottling factory. As bottles pass her on a conveyer belt, she puts caps on them. Unfortunately, Erica sometimes breaks a bottle before she can cap it. She gets paid 4 cents for each bottle she successfully caps, but her boss deducts 2 cents from her pay for each bottle she breaks.

Erica is having a bad morning. Fifteen bottles have come her way, but she has been breaking some and has only earned 6 cents so far today. How many bottles has Erica capped and how many has she broken?

Answer provided by our tutors

Let

x = the number of braked bottles 

15 - x = the number of capped bottles (we subtract x from the total number of bottles)

4*(15 - x) - 2x = 6

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click here to see the equation solved for x

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x = 9 bottles broken

15 - 9 = 6 bottle caped

Erika broke 9 bottles and caped 6 bottles.