Calculate the Paint Ratio: Solving for Percentages in 0.7x + 0.95(1-x) = 0.91

Question

An employee at a paint shop creates the color purple using the colors red and blue.

The red paint costs 70perliter,whilethebluepaintcosts70 per liter, while the blue paint costs 95 per liter.

What percentage of blue and red paint are used if the price of the purple paint is $91 per liter?

Video Solution

Step-by-Step Solution

To solve this problem, we'll follow these steps:

  • Step 1: Set up the equation using the weighted average formula
  • Step 2: Solve the equation for x x
  • Step 3: Calculate the percentage of blue and red paint

Now, let's work through each step:

Step 1: The equation for the weighted average is:
Cp=xCb+(1x)Cr C_p = x \cdot C_b + (1-x) \cdot C_r

Substituting the given values:
91=x95+(1x)70 91 = x \cdot 95 + (1-x) \cdot 70

Step 2: Simplify and solve for x x :
91=95x+7070x 91 = 95x + 70 - 70x
Combine terms:
91=25x+70 91 = 25x + 70
Subtract 70 from both sides:
21=25x 21 = 25x
Divide by 25:
x=2125=0.84 x = \frac{21}{25} = 0.84

Step 3: x=0.84 x = 0.84 means 84% of the paint is blue:
The percentage of red paint is 1x=0.16 1 - x = 0.16 or 16%.

Therefore, the solution to the problem is blue: 84% red: 16%.

Answer

blue: 84% red: 16%