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Bunuel
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I don't know if my approach is right. I probably got a lucky guess. Bunuel, do you mind giving input / providing the official solution?

Price / Liter = P(total) / Q(total)

A container: P[total] / (Qtotal - a + b)
a= mixture leaving a
b = mixture added from b

B container: P[total] / (Qtotal -b + a)
b = mixture leaving b
a = mixture added from a

set both equations equal to each other:
P[total] / (Qtotal - a + b) = P[total] / (Qtotal -b + a)

The Ps cancel.

Plug in 140 and 60.

Side note: notice both are integers that are even, all the answers are odd except for 42. That was my thinking..
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P is the quantity removed.
Q is the cost of the first liquid.
R is the cost of the second liquid.


(140-P)Q+PR/140= (60-P)R+PQ/40

On solving the above equation you get => 42Q-PR=42R-PQ

42-P*Q-R=0

Either P has to be 0 or A & B should be equal. But it's already said that prices are different, so P is 42
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andreagonzalez2k
In order to have the same price ratio in both mixtures must be the same.

\(\frac{140-x}{x}=\frac{x}{60-x}\)

\(x^2=140*60-200x+x^2\)

\(x=42\)


can some one please elaborate this ??
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andreagonzalez2k
In order to have the same price ratio in both mixtures must be the same.

\(\frac{140-x}{x}=\frac{x}{60-x}\)

\(x^2=140*60-200x+x^2\)

\(x=42\)


can some one please elaborate this ??

You remove the same amount of liters from A container and B container. Let it be 'x'.

After that you have:
In A container:
- '140 - x' of A mentha oil
- 'x' of B mentha oil
In B container:
- 'x' of A mentha oil
- '60 - x' of B mentha oil

Ratio of A mentha oil to B mentha oil must be the same in both containers in order that the price is the same.

\(\frac{140-x}{x}=\frac{x}{60-x}\)

\(x^2=140*60-200x+x^2\)

\(x=42\)
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Bunuel
There are two containers A and B filled with mentha oil with different prices and with volumes 140 and 60 liters respectively. Equal quantities are drawn from both A and B in such a manner that the oil drawn from A is poured in into B and oil drawn from B is poured into A. After doing so, the price per liter becomes equal in both containers. What is the (equal) quantity that was drawn?

A. 21 liters
B. 27 liters
C. 35 liters
D. 42 liters
E. 45 liters

Say the oil in 140 lts container is cheaper and the oil in 60 ltr container is more expensive.
After mutual replacement, overall price becomes the same. This means that the concentration of either ingredient (one kind of oil) is the same in both mixtures.

Say, we remove x litres from each and replace in the other.

Concentration of expensive oil in both containers should be equal. So
\(\frac{x}{140} = \frac{(60 - x)}{60} \)
x = 42 liters

Answer (D)

Note that we could have done the same thing with the concentration of cheaper oil and we would have got the same answer. In mixtures, we need to deal with the concentration of any one ingredient e.g. with concentration of sugar in sugar solution.
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Ok, there are two containers A and B. Suppose there are two types(price) of mentha oil:

- X is in A, which is 140 L.
- Y is in B, which is 60 L.

Since they became equal in price, we can assume that both have the same proportion of X and Y in them. we would option test


------------ A ------------

option(a)

x=140-21=119
y=21

now, x/y = 119/21


------------ B ------------

x=21
y=60-21=39

≠ 21/39


(b)(C)(E) options don't work too.


----------------------------------------------------------------


test option(d)


------------ A ------------

x=140-42=98
y=42

x/y=98/42=7/3


------------ B ------------

x=42
y=60-42=18

= 42/18=7/3


----------------------------------------------------------------

so answer is (D)
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