If a flask contains 5 cubic centimeters of a certain medicine and 11 cubic centimeters of water, how much medicine must be add so that the flask is #2/3# full of medicine?

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Answer 1 · 2016-12-13T15:07:23

#=3 1/3 cm^3#

#color(red)("Assumption: The combined volume of the given medicine and")# #color(red)("water is the same as the full capacity of the flask.")#

#color(blue)("Flask volume not declared in the question.")#

The total number of parts is 5 of medicine and 11 of water #=16 "parts "= 16 cm^3#

So as a fraction, the medicine is #5/16" of a full flask"#

But we need the flask to be #2/3# full.

The amount of medicine this would entail #2/3xx5/15 " of a full flask"#

But we decided the flasks volume is #16 cm^3#

So we have:

#(2/3xx5/16xx16) cm#

#2/3xx5/(cancel(16)^1)xxcancel(16)^1 = 10/3cm^3#

#=3 1/3 cm^3#