Problema Solution

The coffee merchant wants to blend a mildly strong coffee called Nervous Nellie with an extremely strong coffee called Nervous Breakdown to create a medium strength coffee he plans to call Nervous Wreck. If the Nellie flavor costs $1.20 per pound and the Breakdown flavor costs $1.40 per pound, how many pounds of the Nellie is needed to create a 30-pound blend which costs $1.35 per pound?

Answer provided by our tutors

let


x = the pounds of Nervous Nellie by the cost $1.20 per pound

y = the pounds of Nervous Breakdown by the cost $1.40 per pound

x + y = the pounds of the blend Nervous Wreck by the cost $1.35 per pound


since the blend is 30 pounds we have


x + y = 30


the cost of x lbs Nervous Nellie + the cost of y lbs Nervous Breakdown = total cost of the blend 1.35*30


1.20*x + 1.40*y = 1.35*30


by solving the system of equations


x + y = 30

1.20*x + 1.40*y = 1.35*30


we find


x = 7.5 lbs


y = 22.5 lbs


7.5 lbs of Nervous Nellie is needed.