Use the table to answer the question.
BA 5 15
BB 16 4
Bowls A and B contain a number of white and red balls. Simon repeatedly selected a ball from both bowls and recorded the results in a table. If there are 36 balls in Bowl A, estimate the number of white balls based on Simon’s results.
(1 point)
Responses
9
9
10
10
18
18
27
To estimate the number of white balls in Bowl A, we can create an equation with the given information.
Let x be the number of white balls in Bowl A.
From the table, Simon selected a white ball from Bowl A 5 times, so we have 5/x as the ratio of white balls selected.
The total number of balls in Bowl A is 36, so the total number of red balls in Bowl A is 36 - x.
From the table, Simon selected a red ball from Bowl A 15 times, so we have 15/(36 - x) as the ratio of red balls selected.
Setting up the equation:
5/x = 15/(36 - x)
Cross multiplying, we get:
5(36 - x) = 15x
180 - 5x = 15x
180 = 20x
x = 9
Therefore, the estimated number of white balls in Bowl A is 9.
The answer is 9.