Question

Two containers of gasoline hold a total of 40 gallons. The big container can hold 5 gallons less than twice the small container. How many gallons does each container hold?

Answer 1

Given:

The given quantity of gasoline is Q = 40 gallons.

The big container can hold 5 gallons less than twice the small container.

The objective is to find the number of gallons of each container.

Step-by-step explanation:

Consider the smaller container as S and the larger container as L.

The total quantity of containers can be represented as,

`S+L=40\text{ . . . . . . .(1)}`

Since the big container can hold 5 gallons less than twice the small container (2S), then the big container L can be represented as,

`L=2s-5\text{ . .. . . .(2)}`

To find S:

Substitute the equation (2) in (1).

`\begin{gathered} S+2S-5=40 \\ 3S=40+5 \\ 3S=45 \\ S=(45)/(3) \\ S=15\text{ gallons} \end{gathered}`

To find L:

Substitute the value of S in equation (1).

`\begin{gathered} 15+L=40 \\ L=40-15 \\ L=25 \end{gathered}`

Hence, the small container can hold 15 gallons of gasoline and the large container can hold 25 gallons of gasoline.