A research laboratory mixes Solution A and Solution B in a ratio of 3 : 5 by volume to cre… — GMAT

A research laboratory mixes Solution A and Solution B in a ratio of $3 : 5$ by volume to create a standard compound. If a technician needs to prepare $240$ milliliters of the compound, how many milliliters of Solution A are required?

A
$48$ milliliters
B
$80$ milliliters
$90$ millilitersAnswer
D
$144$ milliliters
E
$150$ milliliters

Answer

Solution A requires

90

milliliters of liquid.

The total compound consists of

3 + 5 = 8

parts. The fraction of Solution A in the total mixture is

\frac{3}{8}

. Multiplying this fraction by the total volume of

240

milliliters yields

\frac{3}{8} \times 240 = 90

milliliters.

Step-by-Step Solution

Calculate the total number of ratio parts

The ratio

3 : 5

yields

3 + 5 = 8

equal parts in total.

To find the value of one part, the total volume must be divided by the total sum of the ratio terms.

Determine the volume of a single ratio part

\frac{240 \text{ mL}}{8 \text{ parts}} = 30 \text{ mL per part}

Dividing the total volume by the total parts gives the multiplier per ratio unit.

Multiply the single part volume by Solution A's ratio portion

3 \times 30 \text{ mL} = 90 \text{ mL}

Solution A accounts for

3

of the

8

total parts.

Key Concept

Part-to-Whole Ratio Scaling

Estimated Time:1m 0s

Question

Answer

Step-by-Step Solution

Key Concept

Common Mistakes

Topics

More questions from this topic