gold is 19 times as heavy as water and copper is 9 times as heavy as water . in what ratio should these be mixed to get an alloy 15 times as heavy as water ?
"let us say , water weighs 1 kg / 1 liter . then gold weighs 19 kgs and copper weighs 9 kgs . assume x kgs of gold and y kgs of copper required to get the required alloy . we use weighted average formula = ax = n 1 . a 1 + n 2 . a 2 n 1 + n 2 ax = n 1 . a 1 + n 2 . a 2 n 1 + n 2 therefore , 15 = x . 19 + y . 9 x + y 15 = x . 19 + y . 9 x + y 15 x + 15 y = 19 x + 9 y 4 x = 6 y ⇒ x / y = 3 : 2 so gold and copper should be mixed in the ratio 3 : 2 . answer : a"
divide(subtract(15, 9), subtract(19, 15))