A statue is made of a mixture of copper and zinc in a ratio of 11:4 (copper to zinc). If the weight of the statue is 3165 pounds, what is the weight of the copper?
copper must be 11/15 of the weight
zinc must be 4/15 of the weight.
Could it possibly be anything other than this?
To find the weight of the copper in the statue, we first need to determine the fraction of copper in the mixture.
Given that the ratio of copper to zinc is 11:4, we can calculate the fraction of copper in the mixture by dividing the weight of copper by the total weight of the mixture.
Let's assume the weight of copper in the mixture is represented by C pounds. The weight of zinc is then (3165 - C) pounds.
Since the ratio of copper to zinc is 11:4, we can set up the equation:
C / (3165 - C) = 11 / 4
To solve this equation, we can cross-multiply:
4C = 11(3165 - C)
Next, we distribute 11 to the terms inside the parenthesis:
4C = 11 * 3165 - 11C
Expanding further:
4C = 34815 - 11C
Add 11C to both sides of the equation:
4C + 11C = 34815
Combine like terms:
15C = 34815
Divide both sides of the equation by 15:
C = 34815 / 15
Simplifying:
C ≈ 2321
Therefore, the weight of the copper in the statue is approximately 2321 pounds.