Lenny is making his own laundry soap, the recipe calls for two parts borax, two parts washing soda, and one part soap flakes. If Lenny uses 7 cups of flakes, how many cups of borax and washing soda combined does he need?
To find out how many cups of borax and washing soda Lenny needs, we first need to determine the ratio of borax, washing soda, and soap flakes.
The recipe states that the ratio is two parts borax, two parts washing soda, and one part soap flakes. This means we need to use the same amount of borax and washing soda, but half the amount of soap flakes.
Since Lenny is using 7 cups of soap flakes, we can calculate the amount of borax and washing soda needed by following these steps:
1. Calculate the amount of soap flakes needed for the ratio:
- Divide 7 cups of soap flakes by the ratio of 1 part flakes.
- 7 cups / 1 = 7 cups
2. Calculate the amount of borax needed for the ratio:
- Multiply the amount of soap flakes (7 cups) by the ratio of 2 parts borax.
- 7 cups * 2 = 14 cups
3. Calculate the amount of washing soda needed for the ratio:
- Multiply the amount of soap flakes (7 cups) by the ratio of 2 parts washing soda.
- 7 cups * 2 = 14 cups
Therefore, Lenny needs a total of 14 cups of borax and 14 cups of washing soda combined for this recipe.