# Help needed with a Algebra Question [closed]

Four apples weigh as much as two melons.Five oranges weigh as much as three melons.Six apples weigh as much as how many oranges ?

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## closed as off-topic by This is much healthier., mookid, hardmath, Rick Decker, Michael AlbaneseJul 15 at 23:52

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• "This question is missing context or other details: Please improve the question by providing additional context, which ideally includes your thoughts on the problem and any attempts you have made to solve it. This information helps others identify where you have difficulties and helps them write answers appropriate to your experience level." – This is much healthier., mookid, hardmath, Rick Decker, Michael Albanese
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Please, try to make the title of your question more informative. E.g., Why does $a<b$ imply $a+c<b+c$? is much more useful for other users than A question about inequality. From How can I ask a good question?: Make your title as descriptive as possible. In many cases one can actually phrase the title as the question, at least in such a way so as to be comprehensible to an expert reader. –  Julian Kuelshammer Oct 30 '12 at 19:01
How many melons weigh as much as six apples? –  Michael Joyce Oct 30 '12 at 19:03

Since $4$ applies weight as much has $2$ melons, $6$ apples will weight as much as $3$ melons. But $5$ oranges weigh as much as $3$ melons. Can you now conclude?

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Thank you for time, appreciate it. I can see the pattern behind it. –  Jay Oct 30 '12 at 19:11

4 apples = 2 melons ---eq.1

5 oranges = 3 melons---eq.2

Multiply equation 1 with 3/2 for making RHS of both the equations same.

Hence,

6 apples= 3 melons---eq.3

Compare eq.2 with eq. 3

Therefore,

6 apples= 5 oranges

Thus 6 apples weigh as much as 5 oranges.

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Thanks a lot, really appreciate your efforts. Simple simultaneous, but I couldn't get my head around it. –  Jay Oct 30 '12 at 19:36

Lets right out what we know in equations.

Let $a =$ weight of apple, $m =$weight of melon, $o =$ weight of orange.

Then we have the following equations: $$4a = 2m$$ $$5o = 3m$$ So we can eliminate $m$ from these equations by multiplying through on the first equation by $\frac{3}{2}$ and subtracting from the first.

So we get $$6a = 3m$$ $$5o = 3m$$ So equating these we get $$6a = 5o$$

Thus we see that $6$ apples weights as much as $5$ oranges.

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Thank you ever so much, really appreciate it. Now I see where I was going wrong. –  Jay Oct 30 '12 at 19:09