Matt's Oak Superstore has exactly three times as many large oak desks as small oak desks in its inventory. If the store only sells these two types of desks, which could be the total number of desks in stock?
a. 10
b. 13
c. 16
d. 18
e. 25
L = 3S
3S + S = 4S
What answer has a factor of 4?
To solve this problem, we need to understand the given information. It states that Matt's Oak Superstore has exactly three times as many large oak desks as small oak desks in its inventory.
Let's represent the number of small oak desks as "S" and the number of large oak desks as "L."
According to the information, we can write the equation: L = 3S.
Now, let's explore the given answer choices and see which ones satisfy the equation.
a. 10 desks:
If S = 10, then L = 3 × 10 = 30 desks. This would give us a total of 10 + 30 = 40 desks. However, this is not an option, so we can eliminate it.
b. 13 desks:
If S = 13, then L = 3 × 13 = 39 desks. This would give us a total of 13 + 39 = 52 desks. This is not an option, so we can eliminate it.
c. 16 desks:
If S = 16, then L = 3 × 16 = 48 desks. This would give us a total of 16 + 48 = 64 desks. This is not an option, so we can eliminate it.
d. 18 desks:
If S = 18, then L = 3 × 18 = 54 desks. This would give us a total of 18 + 54 = 72 desks. This is not an option, so we can eliminate it.
e. 25 desks:
If S = 25, then L = 3 × 25 = 75 desks. This would give us a total of 25 + 75 = 100 desks. This is not an option, so we can eliminate it.
Based on the calculations, none of the given options satisfy the equation L = 3S. Therefore, none of the answer choices could be the total number of desks in stock.