2.

can be used to estimate the percentage of smokers in this

age group n years after 1974.
a) Use the formula to find the percentage of smokers in this
age group in 1998.
b) Use the accompanying graph to estimate the year in
which smoking will be eliminated from this group.
c) Use the formula to find the year in which smoking will
be eliminated from this group.
a) 25.1%
b) 2024
c) 2024
89. Distance between streets. Harold Johnson lives on a foursided, 50,000-square-foot lot that is bounded on two sides
by parallel streets. The city has assessed him $1,000 for
curb repair, $2 for each foot of property bordering on these
two streets. How far apart are the streets?
200 feet

Applications

(2-21)

73

90. Assessed for repairs. Harolds sister, Maude, lives next door
on a triangular lot of 25,000 square feet that also extends
from street to street but has frontage only on one street. What
will her assessment be? (See Exercise 89.) $500
91. Junipers lot. Harolds other sister, Juniper, lives on the
other side of him on a lot of 60,000 square feet in the shape
of a parallelogram. What will her assessment be? (See Exercise 89.) $1,200
92. Mothers driveway. Harolds mother, who lives across the
street, is pouring a concrete driveway, 12 feet wide and
4 inches thick, from the street straight to her house. This is
too much work for Harold to do in one day, so his mother
has agreed to buy 4 cubic yards of concrete each Saturday
for three consecutive Saturdays. How far is it from the street
to her house? 81 feet

GET TING MORE INVOLVED

FIGURE FOR EXERCISES 8991

2.3
In this
section

93. Exploration. Electric companies often point out the low

cost of electricity in performing common household tasks.
a) Find the cost of a kilowatt-hour of electricity in your area.
b) Write a formula for finding the cost of electricity for a
household appliance to perform a certain task and to
explain what each variable represents.
c) Use your formula to find the cost in your area for baking
a 11 -pound loaf of bread for 5 hours in a 750-watt
2
Welbilt breadmaker.

APPLICATIONS

We often use algebra to solve problems by translating them into algebraic equations. Sometimes we can use formulas such as those in Appendix A. More often we
have to set up a new equation that represents or models the problem. We begin with
translating verbal expressions into algebraic expressions.

Writing Algebraic
Expressions

Solving Problems

Writing Algebraic Expressions

General Strategy for

Problem Solving

Consider the three consecutive integers 5, 6, and 7. Note that each integer is 1 larger
than the previous integer. To represent three unknown consecutive integers, we let

Geometric Problems

Investment Problems

Mixture Problems

Uniform Motion Problems

x  the first integer,

x  1  the second integer,
x  2  the third integer.

Commission Problems

and

Consider the three consecutive odd integers 7, 9, and 11. Note that each odd
integer is 2 larger than the previous odd integer. To represent three unknown consecutive odd integers, we let

and

x  the first odd integer,

x  2  the second odd integer,
x  4  the third odd integer.

74

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Chapter 2

Linear Equations and Inequalities in One Variable

Note that consecutive even integers as well as consecutive odd integers differ by 2.
So the same expressions are used in either case.
How would we represent two numbers that have a sum of 8? If one of the
numbers is 2, the other is certainly 6, or 8  2. So if x is one of the numbers, then
8  x is the other number. The expressions x and 8  x have a sum of 8 for any
value of x.

E X A M P L E

Writing algebraic expressions

Write algebraic expressions to represent each verbal expression.
a) Two numbers that differ by 12
b) Two consecutive even integers
c) Two investments that total $5,000
d) The length of a rectangle if the width is x meters and the perimeter is
10 meters

Solution
a) The expressions x and x  12 differ by 12. Note that we could also use x and
x  12 for two numbers that differ by 12.
b) The expressions x and x  2 represent two consecutive even integers.
c) If x represents the amount of one investment, then 5,000  x represents the
amount of the other investment.
d) Because the perimeter is 10 meters and P  2L  2W  2(L  W ), the sum
of the length and width is 5 meters. Because the width is x, the length is 5  x.

M A T H

A T

W O R K

Mark Cromett, General Manager of the Charles

Street Starbucks Coffee Store, arrives at work early
in the morning to make sure each customer receives
a perfect cup of coffee. Coffee beans from Central
and South America, East Africa, and the Pacific are
ground daily. Careful calibrations for the grinding
are done by weighing each specific type of coffee.
Even humidity frequently becomes part of the equaCOFFEE STORE
tion on how coffee is prepared. Besides the geoMANAGER
graphical area where the beans originate, customers
have many choices for coffee. Selections are made among full city, espresso, Italian,
and French roasts. Even seven decaffeinated coffees are available. But even with all
of the choices, customers sometimes prefer their own special blend, requesting a
mixture of different types of beans. Mr. Cromett is glad to brew or grind any special
blend for a customer, and his charge depends on the different prices of the coffees
mixed together. In Exercise 49 of this section you will determine the price of a
specially blended coffee.

2.3

(2-23)

Applications

75

Many verbal phrases occur repeatedly in applications. The following list of

some frequently occurring verbal phrases and their translations into algebraic
expressions will help you to translate words into algebra.
Translating Words into Algebra

Addition:

Subtraction:

Multiplication:

Division:

Verbal Phrase

Algebraic
Expression

The sum of a number and 8

Five is added to a number
Two more than a number
A number increased by 3
Four is subtracted from a number
Three less than a number
The difference between 7 and a number
Some number decreased by 2
A number less 5
The product of 5 and a number
Seven times a number
Twice a number

x8
x5
x2
x3
x4
x3
7x
x2
x5
5x
7x
2x

One-half of a number

1
x
2

The ratio of a number to 6

x

6
5

x
3

x

The quotient of 5 and a number

Three divided by some number

or 2
x

More than one operation can be combined in a single expression. For example, 7
less than twice a number is written as 2x  7.

Solving Problems
We will now see how algebraic expressions can be used to form an equation. If the
equation correctly models a problem, then we may be able to solve the equation to
get the solution to the problem. Some problems in this section could be solved
without using algebra. However, the purpose of this section is to gain experience in
setting up equations and using algebra to solve problems. We will show a complete
solution to each problem so that you can gain the experience needed to solve more
complex problems. We begin with a simple number problem.

E X A M P L E

A number problem
The sum of three consecutive integers is 228. Find the integers.

Solution
We first represent the unknown quantities with variables. The unknown quantities
are the three consecutive integers. Let
x  the first integer,
x  1  the second integer,
and
x  2  the third integer.

76

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Chapter 2

helpful

hint

Making a guess can be a good

way to become familiar with
the problem. For example, lets
guess that the answers to
Example 2 are 50, 51, and 52.
Since 50  51  52  153,
these are not the correct numbers. But now we realize that
we should use x, x  1, and
x  2 and that the equation
should be
x  x  1  x  2  228.

Linear Equations and Inequalities in One Variable

Since the sum of these three expressions for the consecutive integers is 228, we can
write the following equation and solve it:
x  (x  1)  (x  2)  228
3x  3  228
3x  225
x  75
x  1  76
x  2  77

The sum of the integers is 228.

Identify the other unknown quantities.

To verify that these values are the correct integers, we compute

75  76  77  228.
The three consecutive integers that have a sum of 228 are 75, 76, and 77.

General Strategy for Problem Solving

The steps to follow in providing a complete solution to a verbal problem can be
stated as follows.

study

Strategy for Solving Word Problems

tip

Dont simply work exercises to

get answers. Keep reminding
yourself of what you are actually doing. Keep trying to obtain the big picture. How does
this section relate to what we
did in the previous section?
Where are we going next?
When is the picture complete?

1. Read the problem until you understand the problem. Making a guess and
checking it will help you to understand the problem.
2. If possible, draw a diagram to illustrate the problem.
3. Choose a variable and write down what it represents.
4. Represent any other unknowns in terms of that variable.
5. Write an equation that models the situation.
6. Solve the equation.
7. Be sure that your solution answers the question posed in the original problem.
8. Check your answer by using it to solve the original problem (not the equation).
We will now see how this strategy can be applied to various types of problems.

Geometric Problems
Any problem that involves a geometric figure may be referred to as a geometric
problem. For geometric problems the equation is often a geometric formula.

E X A M P L E

2x + 1

FIGURE 2.4

Finding the length and width of a rectangle

The length of a rectangular piece of property is 1 foot more than twice the width. If
the perimeter is 302 feet, find the length and width.

Solution
First draw a diagram as in Fig. 2.4. Because the length is 1 foot more than twice the
width, we let
x  the width
and

2x  1  the length.

2.3

helpful

hint

To become familiar with the

problem, lets guess that the
width is 20 feet. The length
would be 41 feet (1 foot more
than twice the width). The
perimeter of a 20 foot by 41
foot rectangle is 2(20)  2(41)
or 122 feet, which is not correct, but now we understand
the problem.

(2-25)

Applications

77

The perimeter of a rectangle is modeled by the equation 2L  2W  P:

2L  2W  P
2(2x  1)  2(x)  302
4x  2  2x  302
6x  300
x  50
2x  1  101

Replace L by 2x  1 and W by x.
Remove the parentheses.

Because 2(50)  1  101

Because P  2(101)  2(50)  302 and 101 is 1 more than twice 50, we can be
sure that the answer is correct. So the length is 101 feet, and the width is 50 feet.

Investment Problems
Investment problems involve sums of money invested at various interest rates. In
this chapter we consider simple interest only.

E X A M P L E

helpful

hint

To become familiar with the

problem, lets guess that he
invested $400 in a CD at 9%
and $800 (twice as much) in a
mutual fund at 12%. His total
interest is
0.09(400)  0.12(800)
or $132, which is not correct,
but now we understand the
problem.

Investing at two rates

Greg Smith invested some money in a certificate of deposit (CD) with an annual
yield of 9%. He invested twice as much money in a mutual fund with an annual
yield of 12%. His interest from the two investments at the end of the year was $396.
How much money was invested at each rate?

Solution
Recall the formula I  Prt. In this problem the time t is 1 year, so I  Pr. If we let
x represent the amount invested at the 9% rate, then 2x is the amount invested at
12%. The interest on these investments is the principal times the rate, or 0.09x and
0.12(2x). It is often helpful to make a table for the unknown quantities.
Principal

Rate

9%

2x

12%

Certificate of deposit
Mutual fund

Interest

0.09x
0.12(2x)

The fact that the total interest from the investments was $396 is expressed in the
following equation:
0.09x  0.12(2x )  396
0.09x  0.24x  396
0.33x  396
396
x  
0.33
x  1200
2x  2400

We could multiply each side by 100

to eliminate the decimals.

To check this answer, we find that 0.09($1200)  $108 and 0.12($2400) 

$288. Now $108  $288  $396. So Greg invested $1200 at 9% and $2400

at 12%.

78

(2-26)

Chapter 2

Linear Equations and Inequalities in One Variable

Mixture Problems
Mixture problems involve solutions containing various percentages of a particular
ingredient.

E X A M P L E

helpful

hint

To become familiar with the

problem, lets guess that
100 gallons of 5% milk should
be mixed with 90 gallons of
1% milk. The total amount of
fat would be 0.05(100) 
0.01(90) or 5.9 gallons of fat.
But 2% of 190 is 3.8 gallons of
fat. Since the amounts of fat
should be equal, our guess is
incorrect.

1%

5%

Solution
If x represents the number of gallons of 5% milk, then 0.05x represents the amount
of fat in that milk. If we mix x gallons of 5% milk with 90 gallons of 1% milk, we
will have x  90 gallons of 2% milk. See Fig. 2.5. We can make a table to classify
all of the unknown quantities.
Quantity

% fat

5% milk

0.05x

1% milk

90

0.01(90)

2% milk

x  90

0.02(x  90)

Amount of fat

In mixture problems we always write an equation that accounts for one of the
ingredients in the process. In this case we write an equation to express the fact that
the total amount of fat from the first two types of milk is the same as the amount of
fat in the mixture.
0.05x  0.01(90)  0.02(x  90)
0.05x  0.9  0.02x  1.8
0.03x  0.9
x  30

2%

Remove parentheses.
Note that we chose to work with the decimals
rather than eliminate them.

We should use 30 gallons of 5% milk. There are 1.5 gallons of fat in the 30 gallons of
5% milk. The 1% milk will contribute 0.9 gallon of fat, and there will be 2.4 gallons
of fat in 120 gallons of 2% milk. Because 1.5  0.9  2.4, we have the correct

solution.

FIGURE 2.5

E X A M P L E

Mixing milk
How many gallons of milk containing 5% butterfat must be mixed with 90 gallons
of 1% milk to obtain 2% milk?

Blending gasoline
A dealer has 10,000 gallons of unleaded gasoline. He wants to add just enough
ethanol to make the fuel a 10% ethanol mixture. How many gallons of ethanol
should be added?

Solution
Let x represent the number of gallons of 100% pure ethanol that should be added.
(The original gasoline has no ethanol in it.) We can classify all of this information
in a table.
Amount

% ethanol

Amount of ethanol

Gasoline

10,000

Ethanol

100

Mixture

x  10,000

10

0.1(x  10,000)

2.3

Applications

(2-27)

79

We can write 0  x  0.1(x  10,000) to express the fact that the amount of
ethanol in the gasoline plus the amount of ethanol added is equal to the amount
of ethanol in the final mixture. This model accounts for all of the ethanol in the
process.

calculator
close-up
If you replace x in the original
equation by ANS, you can
check without rounding. The
calculator returns a 1 to indicate that the equation is satisfied. Try checking 1,111.1 with
your calculator.

0  x  0.1(x  10,000)
x  0.1x  1000 Remove parentheses.
0.9x  1000
Subtract 0.1x from each side of the equation.
1000
x  
Divide each side by 0.9.
0.9
x  1,111.1 gallons
The amount of ethanol has been rounded to the nearest tenth of a gallon, so we cannot expect checking to be exact. If we combine 10,000 gallons of gasoline with
1,111.1 gallons of ethanol, we obtain 11,111.1 gallons of fuel. Notice that the

amount of ethanol is 10% of the total mixture, 10% of (10,000  x ).

Uniform Motion Problems

Problems that involve motion at a constant rate are referred to as uniform motion
problems.

E X A M P L E

study

tip

As you leave class, talk to a

classmate about what happened in class. What was the
class about? What new terms
were mentioned and what do
they mean? How does this lesson fit in with the last lesson?

Driving Miss Jennifer

Jennifer drove her car for 3 hours in a dust storm. When the skies cleared, she increased her speed by 30 miles per hour and drove for 4 more hours, completing her
295-mile trip. How fast did she travel during the dust storm?

Solution
If x was Jennifers speed during the dust storm, then her speed under clear skies was
x  30. For problems involving motion we use the formula D  RT (distance
equals rate times time). It is again helpful to make a table to classify the given
information.
Rate

Time

Distance

Dust storm

3x

Clear skies

x  30

4(x  30)

The following equation indicates that the total distance traveled was 295 miles:
3x  4(x  30)  295
3x  4x  120  295 Remove parentheses.
7x  175
x  25 miles per hour
Check this answer in the original problem. Jennifer traveled 25 miles per hour

(mph) during the storm.

Commission Problems
When property is sold, the percentage of the selling price that the selling agent
receives is the commission.

80

(2-28)

Chapter 2

E X A M P L E

helpful

hint

To become familiar with the

problem, lets guess that the
selling price is $100,000.
The commission is 6% of the
selling price: 0.06(100,000) or
$6,000. So Sonia receives
$94,000, which is incorrect.

Linear Equations and Inequalities in One Variable

Selling price of a house

Sonia is selling her house through a real estate agent whose commission is 6% of
the selling price. What should be the selling price so that Sonia can get $84,600?

Solution
Let x be the selling price. The commission is 6% of x (not 6% of $84,600). Sonia
receives the selling price less the sales commission.
Selling price  commission  Sonias share
x  0.06x  84,600
0.94x  84,600
84,600
x  
0.94
 $90,000
The commission is 0.06($90,000), or $5,400. Sonias share is $90,000  $5,400, or

$84,600. The house should sell for $90,000.

WARM-UPS

True or false? Explain your answer.

1. The recommended first step in solving a word problem is to write the

equation. False
2. When solving word problems, always write what the variable stands for.
True
3. Any solution to your equation must solve the word problem. False
4. To represent two consecutive odd integers, we use x and x  1. False
5. We can represent two numbers that have a sum of 6 by x and 6  x. True
6. Two numbers that differ by 7 can be represented by x and x  7. True
7. If 5x feet is 2 feet more than 3(x  20) feet, then 5x  2  3(x  20).
False
8. If x is the selling price and the commission is 8% of the selling price, then
the commission is 0.08x. True
9. If you need $80,000 for your house and the agent gets 10% of the selling
price, then the agent gets $8,000, and the house sells for $88,000. False
10. When we mix a 10% acid solution with a 14% acid solution, we can obtain
a solution that is 24% acid. False

2. 3

EXERCISES

Reading and Writing After reading this section, write out the
answers to these questions. Use complete sentences.
1. How do you algebraically represent three unknown consecutive integers?
Three unknown consecutive integers are represented by x,
x  1, and x  2.

2. What is the difference between representing three unknown

consecutive even or odd integers?
In either case we use x, x  2, and x  4, but for odd integers x represents an odd integer and for even integers x
represents an even integer.

2.3

3. What formula expresses the perimeter of a rectangle in

terms of length and width?
The formula P  2L  2W expresses the perimeter in terms
of length and width.
4. What verbal phrases are used to indicate the operation of
addition?
Addition can be indicated by the words, sum, more
than, or plus.
5. What is the commission when a real estate agent sells
property?
The commission is a percentage of the selling price.
6. What is uniform motion?
Uniform motion is motion at a constant rate.
Find algebraic expressions for each of the following. See
Example 1.
7. Two consecutive even integers x, x  2
8. Two consecutive odd integers x, x  2
9. Two numbers with a sum of 10 x, 10  x
10. Two numbers with a difference of 3 x, x  3
11. Eighty-five percent of the selling price 0.85x
12. The product of a number and 3 3x
13. The distance traveled in 3 hours at x miles per hour
3x miles
14. The time it takes to travel 100 miles at x  5 miles per hour
100
 hours
x5
15. The perimeter of a rectangle if the width is x feet and the
length is 5 feet longer than the width 4x  10
16. The width of a rectangle if the length is x meters and the
perimeter is 20 meters 10  x meters
Show a complete solution for each number problem. See
Example 2.
17. The sum of three consecutive integers is 84. Find the
integers. 27, 28, 29
18. Find three consecutive integers whose sum is 171.
56, 57, 58
19. Find three consecutive even integers whose sum is 252.
82, 84, 86
20. Find three consecutive even integers whose sum is 84.
26, 28, 30
21. Two consecutive odd integers have a sum of 128. What are
the integers? 63, 65
22. Four consecutive odd integers have a sum of 56. What are
the integers? 11, 13, 15, 17
Show a complete solution to each geometric problem. See
Example 3.
23. Length and width. If the perimeter of a rectangle is
278 meters and the length is 1 meter longer than twice
the width, then what are the length and width?
Width 46 meters, length 93 meters
24. Dimensions of a frame. A frame maker made a large picture frame using 10 feet of frame molding. If the length of

Applications

(2-29)

81

the finished frame was 2 feet more than the width, then
what were the dimensions of the frame?
Width 1.5 feet, length 3.5 feet
25. Perimeter of a lot. Having finished fencing the perimeter
of a triangular piece of land, Lance observed that the second side was just 10 feet short of being twice as long as the
first side, and the third side was exactly 50 feet longer than
the first side. If he used 684 feet of fencing, what are the
lengths of the three sides?
161 feet, 312 feet, 211 feet
26. Isosceles triangle. A flag in the shape of an isosceles triangle has a base that is 3.5 inches shorter than either of the
equal sides. If the perimeter of the triangle is 49 inches,
what is the length of the equal sides?
17.5 inches

x in.

x 3.5 in.

x in.

FIGURE FOR EXERCISE 26

27. Hog heaven. Farmer Hodges has 50 feet of fencing to
make a rectangular hog pen beside a very large barn. He
needs to fence only three sides because the barn will form
the fourth side. Studies have shown that under those conditions the side parallel to the barn should be 5 feet longer
than twice the width. If Farmer Hodges uses all of the fencing, what should the dimensions be?
Width 11.25 feet, length 27.5 feet

x ft
2x + 5 ft

FIGURE FOR EXERCISE 27

28. Doorway dimensions. A carpenter made a doorway that is
1 foot taller than twice the width. If she used three pieces of
door edge molding with a total length of 17 feet, then what
are the approximate dimensions of the doorway?
3 feet wide, 7 feet high

82

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Chapter 2

Linear Equations and Inequalities in One Variable

Show a complete solution to each investment problem. See

Example 4.
29. Investing money. Mr. and Mrs. Jackson invested some
money at 6% simple interest and some money at 10% simple interest. In the second investment they put $1,000 more
than they put in the first. If the income from both investments for one year was $340, then how much did they
invest at each rate? $1,500 at 6%, $2,500 at 10%
30. Sibling rivalry. Samantha lent her brother some money at
9% simple interest and her sister one-half as much money
at 16% simple interest. If she received a total of 34 cents in
interest, then how much did she lend to each one?
Brother $2, sister $1
31. Investing inheritance. Norman invested one-half of his
inheritance in a CD that had a 10% annual yield. He lent
one-quarter of his inheritance to his brother-in-law at 12%
simple interest. His income from these two investments
was $6,400 for one year. How much was the inheritance?
$80,000
32. Insurance settlement. Gary invested one-third of his insurance settlement in a CD that yielded 12%. He also
invested one-third in Taras computer business. Tara paid
Gary 15% on this investment. If Garys total income from
these investments was $10,800 for one year, then what was
the amount of his insurance settlement? $120,000
Show a complete solution to each mixture problem. See
Examples 5 and 6.
33. Acid solutions. How many gallons of 5% acid solution
should be mixed with 20 gallons of a 10% acid solution to
obtain an 8% acid solution? 40 gallons
3
34. Alcohol solutions. How many liters of a 10% alcohol
solution should be mixed with 12 liters of a 20% alcohol
solution to obtain a 14% alcohol solution? 18 liters
35. Increasing acidity. A gallon of Del Monte White Vinegar
is labeled 5% acidity. How many fluid ounces of pure acid
must be added to get 6% acidity? 1.36 ounces
36. Chlorine bleach. A gallon of Clorox bleach is labeled
5.25% sodium hypochlorite by weight. If a gallon of
bleach weighs 8.3 pounds, then how many ounces of sodium
hypochlorite must be added so that the bleach will be 6%
sodium hypochlorite? 1.0596 ounces
Show a complete solution to each uniform motion problem. See
Example 7.
37. Driving in a fog. Carlo drove for 3 hours in a fog, then increased his speed by 30 miles per hour (mph) and drove
6 more hours. If his total trip was 540 miles, then what was
his speed in the fog? 40 mph
38. Walk, dont run. Louise walked for 2 hours then ran for
1
1 hours. If she runs twice as fast as she walks and the total
2
trip was 20 miles, then how fast does she run? 8 mph
39. Commuting to work. A commuter bus takes 2 hours to get
downtown; an express bus, averaging 25 mph faster, takes
45 minutes to cover the same route. What is the average
speed for the commuter bus? 15 mph

x + 25 mph

x mph

FIGURE FOR EXERCISE 39

1

40. Passengers versus freight. A freight train takes 1 hours to

4
get to the city; a passenger train averaging 40 mph faster
takes only 45 minutes to cover the same distance. What is
the average speed of the passenger train? 100 mph
Show a complete solution to each problem. See Example 8.
41. Listing a house. Karl wants to get $80,000 for his house.
The real estate agent charges 8% of the selling price for
selling the house. What should the selling price be?
$86,957
42. Hot tamales. Martha sells hot tamales at a sidewalk stand.
Her total receipts including the 5% sales tax were $915.60.
What amount of sales tax did she collect? $43.60
43. Mustang Sally. Sally bought a used Mustang. The selling
price plus the 7% state sales tax was $9,041.50. What was
the selling price? $8,450
44. Choosing a selling price. Roy is selling his car through a
broker. Roy wants to get $3,000 for himself, but the broker
gets a commission of 10% of the selling price. What should
the selling price be? $3,333.33
Show a complete solution to each problem.
45. Tennis. The distance from the baseline to the service line
on a tennis court is 3 feet longer than the distance from the
service line to the net. If the distance from the baseline to
the net is 39 feet, then what is the distance from the service
line to the net? 18 feet

x
Service line

x3
baseline

FIGURE FOR EXERCISE 45

2.3

46. Mixed doubles. The doubles court in tennis is one-third

wider than the singles court. If the doubles court is 36 feet
wide, then what is the width of the singles court?
27 feet
47. First Super Bowl. In the first Super Bowl game in the Los
Angeles Coliseum in 1967, the Green Bay Packers outscored the Kansas City Chiefs by 25 points. If 45 points
were scored in that game, then what was the final score?
Packers 35, Chiefs 10
48. Toy sales. In 1998 Toys R Us and Wal-Mart together
held 36% of the toy market share (Fortune, June 1, 1998,
www.fortune.com). If the market share for Toys R Us
was 4 percentage points higher than the market share for
Wal-Mart, then what was the market share for each
company?
16% Wal-Mart, 20% Toys R Us
49. Blending coffee. Mark blends 3 of a pound of premium
4
Brazilian coffee with 11 pounds of standard Colombian
2
coffee. If the Brazilian coffee sells for $10 per pound and
the Colombian coffee sells for $8 per pound, then what
should the price per pound be for the blended coffee?
$8.67 per pound

$10/lb
3
4 lb

$8/lb
1

12 lb

?
1

2 4 lb

FIGURE FOR EXERCISE 49

50. Tis the seasoning. Cheryls Famous Pumpkin Pie Seasoning consists of a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
When Cheryl mixes up a batch, she uses 200 ounces of cinnamon, 100 ounces of nutmeg, and 100 ounces of cloves. If
cinnamon sells for $1.80 per ounce, nutmeg sells for $1.60
per ounce, and cloves sell for $1.40 per ounce, what should
be the price per ounce of the mixture?
$1.65 per ounce
51. Health food mix. Dried bananas sell for $0.80 per quarterpound, and dried apricots sell for $1.00 per quarterpound. How many pounds of apricots should be mixed
with 10 pounds of bananas to get a mixture that sells for
$0.95 per quarter-pound? 30 pounds
52. Mixed nuts. Cashews sell for $1.20 per quarter-pound, and
Brazil nuts sell for $1.50 per quarter-pound. How many
pounds of cashews should be mixed with 20 pounds of
Brazil nuts to get a mix that sells for $1.30 per quarterpound? 40 pounds
53. Antifreeze mixture. A mechanic finds that a car with a
20-quart radiator has a mixture containing 30% antifreeze
in it. How much of this mixture would he have to drain out
and replace with pure antifreeze to get a 50% antifreeze
40
mixture?  quarts
7

Applications

(2-31)

83

54. Increasing the percentage. A mechanic has found that a

car with a 16-quart radiator has a 40% antifreeze mixture in
the radiator. She has on hand a 70% antifreeze solution.
How much of the 40% solution would she have to replace
with the 70% solution to get the solution in the radiator up
16
to 50%?  quarts
3

55. Fortune 500 profits. The total profit for Fortune 500 companies was $324 billion in 1997 (Fortune, July 2, 1998).
This figure represents an increase of 7.8% from the previous year. What was the total profit in 1996?
$300.6 billion
56. Decreasing fertility. The fertility rate in developing
countries has decreased 48% from 1960 to 1998 (U.N.
Population Division, www.un.org). The fertility rate was
3.1 children per woman in 1998. What was the fertility rate
in developing countries in 1960?
5.96 children per woman
57. Dividing the estate. Uncle Alberts estate is to be divided
among his three nephews. The will specifies that Daniel receive one-half of the amount that Brian receives and that
Raymond receive $1,000 less than one-third of the amount
that Brian receives. If the estate amounts to $25,400, then
how much does each inherit?
Brian $14,400, Daniel $7,200, Raymond $3,800
58. Marys assets. Mary Halls will specifies that her lawyer is
to liquidate her assets and divide the proceeds among her
three sisters. Lenas share is to be one-half of Lisas, and
Lisas share is to be one-half of Laurens. If the lawyer has
agreed to a fee that is equal to 10% of the largest share and
the proceeds amount to $164,428, then how much does
each person get?
Lauren $88,880, Lisa $44,440, Lena $22,220,
lawyer $8,888
59. Missing integers. If the larger of two consecutive integers
is subtracted from twice the smaller integer, then the result
is 21. Find the integers. 22, 23
60. Really odd integers. If the smaller of two consecutive odd
integers is subtracted from twice the larger one, then the
result is 13. Find the integers. 9, 11
61. Highway miles. Berenice and Jarrett drive a rig for Continental Freightways. In one day Berenice averaged 50 mph
and Jarrett averaged 56 mph, but Berenice drove for two
more hours than Jarrett. If together they covered 683 miles,
then for how many hours did Berenice drive? 7.5 hours
62. Spring break. Fernell and Dabney shared the driving to
Florida for spring break. Fernell averaged 50 mph, and
Dabney averaged 64 mph. If Fernell drove for 3 hours
longer than Dabney but covered 18 miles less than Dabney,
then for how many hours did Fernell drive? 15 hours
63. Stacys square. Stacy has 70 meters of fencing and plans
to make a square pen. In one side she is going to leave an
opening that is one-half the length of the side. If she uses all
70 meters of fencing, how large can the square be?
20 meters by 20 meters

84

(2-32)

Chapter 2

Linear Equations and Inequalities in One Variable

64. Shawns shed. Shawn is building a tool shed with a square

foundation and has enough siding to cover 32 linear feet of
walls. If he leaves a 4-foot space for a door, then what size
foundation would use up all of his siding?
9 feet by 9 feet

67.

68.
x ft

4 ft
x ft

FIGURE FOR EXERCISE 64

65. Splitting investments. Joan had $3,000 to invest. She invested part of it in an investment paying 8% and the remainder in an investment paying 10%. If the total income on
these investments was $290, then how much did she invest
at each rate?
$500 at 8%, $2,500 at 10%
66. Financial independence. Dorothy had $8,000 to invest.
She invested part of it in an investment paying 6% and the

2.4
In this
section

Basic Ideas

Interval Notation and

Graphs

Solving Linear Inequalities

Applications

69.

70.

rest in an investment paying 9%. If the total income from

these investments was $690, then how much did she invest
at each rate?
$1,000 at 6%, $7,000 at 9%
Alcohol solutions. Amy has two solutions available in the
laboratory, one with 5% alcohol and the other with 10%
alcohol. How much of each should she mix together to
obtain 5 gallons of an 8% solution?
2 gallons of 5% solution, 3 gallons of 10% solution
Alcohol and water. Joy has a solution containing 12%
alcohol. How much of this solution and how much water
must she use to get 6 liters of a solution containing 10%
alcohol?
5 liters of 12% alcohol, 1 liter of water
Chance meeting. In 6 years Todd will be twice as old
as Darla was when they met 6 years ago. If their ages total
78 years, then how old are they now?
Todd 46, Darla 32
Centennial Plumbing Company. The three Hoffman
brothers advertise that together they have a century of
plumbing experience. Bart has twice the experience of Al,
and in 3 years Carl will have twice the experience that Al
had a year ago. How many years of experience does each of
them have?
Al 21, Bart 42, Carl 37

INEQUALITIES

So far, we have been working with equations in this chapter. Equations express the
equality of two algebraic expressions. But we are often concerned with two algebraic expressions that are not equal, one expression being greater than or less than
the other. In this section we will begin our study of inequalities.

Basic Ideas
Statements that express the inequality of algebraic expressions are called inequalities. The symbols that we use to express inequality are given below with their
meanings.
Inequality Symbols

Symbol





Meaning
Is less than
Is less than or equal to
Is greater than
Is greater than or equal to

It is clear that 5 is less than 10, but how do we compare 5 and 10? If we think
of negative numbers as debts, we would say that 10 is the larger debt. However,