In the army kitchen there are 4 pots for every 3 pans for every 21 glasses. All together there are 476 of these items. How many pans are there?
To find the number of pans, we need to determine the ratio of pans to glasses. Given that there are 4 pots for every 3 pans, and 21 glasses, we can set up a proportion:
4 pots / 3 pans = 21 glasses / x pans
To solve for x (the number of pans), let's cross-multiply:
4 * x = 3 * 21
Multiply the values on each side:
4x = 63
Now, divide both sides by 4 to isolate x:
x = 63 / 4
Simplifying the division:
x = 15.75
Since we can't have a fraction of a pan, we round down to the nearest whole number:
x ≈ 15
Therefore, there are approximately 15 pans in the army kitchen.