A distribution company ships apples and oranges in boxes, Apples are shipped in boxes that weigh 35 pounds each. Oranges are shipped in boxes that weigh 55 pounds each. A shipment going to a market
weighs 5,000 pounds total and contains 100 boxes. How many boxes of apples are in this shipment?
Approach
We wish to set up equations for the number of boxes and the total weight of the boxes. If A and O represent the number of apples and oranges, we get:
Weight in pounds:
35 pounds per box of Apple35A+55 pounds per box of orange55O=total pounds of all boxes5,000
Boxes:
A+O=100
We can solve this problem using elimination. Multiplying both sides of the second equation by 55 in order to eliminate 55O,
A+O=10055A+55O=5,500
Bringing down the weight equation and subtracting: