A chemist needs to prepare 500 grams of a solution that is 60% sugar by weight. How many grams of sugar should the chemist use?
A percent part-whole problem gives a total and asks for a share of it. Here, the cue is a total weight and a percent describing what the mixture contains; nothing is increasing or decreasing. Identify the whole, then type the percent of that whole into Desmos. Don’t mistake the percent for the requested weight.
Hints
- Hint 1
The whole is everything in the solution, the amount counted as . The sugar is only one part. Which given weight represents the entire solution?
- Hint 2
The sugar’s weight is the part you need to find. Use part percent of whole. The result will be in grams, the same unit as the whole.
Step-by-step
Find the percent of the total weight
Step 1Write the sugar’s share of the solution
The grams is the whole: it weighs all of the solution, including the sugar. The problem says sugar makes up of that weight, so
Take the percent of the entire solution.
- Step 2
Calculate the sugar’s weight
Type in Desmos. It displays . Keep the percent sign: without it, would mean sixty times the whole. The chemist should use grams of sugar. Choice C.