Question

1 Two different-sized wheelbarrows and shovels are being used to move dirt. Wheelbarrow A weighs 20 pounds empty with each shovel of dirt adding 5 pounds to its total weight. Wheelbarrow Bweighs 32 pounds empty with each shovel of dirt adding 4.25 pounds to its total weight. How many shovels of dirt will make the total weight of the two wheelbarrows equal? ​

Answer 1

Let's call the number of shovels of dirt x.

For wheelbarrow A, the weight of x shovels of dirt is:

Weight of dirt in wheelbarrow A = 5x

So the total weight of wheelbarrow A with x shovels of dirt is:

Total weight of wheelbarrow A = 20 + 5x

For wheelbarrow B, the weight of x shovels of dirt is:

Weight of dirt in wheelbarrow B = 4.25x

So the total weight of wheelbarrow B with x shovels of dirt is:

Total weight of wheelbarrow B = 32 + 4.25x

To find the number of shovels of dirt that make the total weight of the two wheelbarrows equal, we need to set the two total weights equal to each other and solve for x:

20 + 5x = 32 + 4.25x

0.75x = 12

x = 16

Therefore, 16 shovels of dirt will make the total weight of the two wheelbarrows equal.