The average bee only produces one-eighth teaspoon of honey in its lifetime. Also it takes 60,000 honey bees to produce 100 lb of honey. how much does a teaspoon of honey weigh Express the answer in ounces?

2 Answers
Jul 3, 2018

#color(blue)(16/75" ounces")#

Explanation:

Since we are asked for the answer in ounces, we convert 100lb to ounces.

There are 16 ounces in 1lb, so:

#100xx16=1600oz#

If 60,000 bees produce #1600 "oz"#, then 1 bee produces:

#1"bee"=1600/60000=2/75"oz"#

If one bee produces #1/8"th"# of a teaspoon of honey, then it will take 8 bees to produce 1 teaspoon of honey. We know how much 1 bee produces in weight, so the total weight of a teaspoonful is:

#8xx2/75=16/75"oz"#

A teaspoon of honey weighs #16/75"oz"#

Jul 3, 2018

#16/75 " ounces"#

There is a temptation to use decimals. Rounding off decimals is not as accurate or precise as fractions.

Explanation:

Known: 16 oz = 1 pound.

#color(brown)("Initial condition")#

#color(green)((" weight of honey")/("count of bees") color(white)("d")->color(white)("d") (100" pound")/(60000" bees"))" ".......Ratio(1)#

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
#color(brown)("Answering the question")#

We require the weight produced by 1 bee so the count of bees in #Ratio(1)# needs to be reduced to 1.

#("pounds")/("bees") ->(100 -:60000)/(60000-:60000) = (color(white)("d")1/600color(white)("d"))/1#

Lets use a smaller unit of measurement (ounces)

#1/600xx16 = 2/75" ounces "color(red)(" produced by 1 bee")#

#color(red)("However, 1 bee produces "1/8" of a teaspoon.")#

Let the weight of 1 teaspoon's worth of honey be #x#

So #1/8xx x=2/75#

#x=8/1xx2/75 = 16/75 " ounces"#