Mrs. Linda has 17.16 cups of brownie mix. If each brownie uses 0.33 cups of mix, how many brownies can Mrs. Linda make?
a. 52
b. 53
c. 54
d. 55
The correct answer and explanation is:
To determine how many brownies Mrs. Linda can make, we need to divide the total amount of brownie mix by the amount used for each brownie.
The total amount of brownie mix is 17.16 cups, and each brownie uses 0.33 cups. To find out how many brownies she can make, we perform the following division: 17.16 cups0.33 cups per brownie=52\frac{17.16 \text{ cups}}{0.33 \text{ cups per brownie}} = 52
Thus, Mrs. Linda can make 52 brownies.
Explanation:
- Understanding the problem: The problem gives us two key pieces of information: the total amount of brownie mix (17.16 cups) and the amount needed for each individual brownie (0.33 cups).
- Setting up the division: To find out how many brownies can be made, we divide the total amount of mix by the amount used for each brownie. The division is:
17.16÷0.33=5217.16 \div 0.33 = 52
- Performing the division: Dividing 17.16 by 0.33 yields exactly 52, which means that with 17.16 cups of brownie mix, Mrs. Linda can make 52 brownies.
- Conclusion: Since the calculation gives a whole number (52), there are no leftovers of mix after making 52 brownies. This matches the first option, a. 52.
In situations like this, division is useful for determining how many smaller portions (in this case, brownies) can be made from a larger total amount. The process is straightforward once we understand that dividing the total by the amount per brownie gives the answer.