Math Problem Statement

Mr. Abhishek has a bag that contains red, black, and yellow marbles in the ratio 5:1:4. He gave some red and yellow marbles to Mr. Navneet. As a result, the ratio of the number of red, black, and yellow marbles left in the bag becomes 5:3:7. If minimum possible number of marbles with him could be 'n' and maximum number of marbles given by him to Navneet could be 'm' (where m is a 2 digit number), find the value of m/n.

Solution

Let's solve the problem step by step:

Step 1: Define the initial conditions

Let the number of red, black, and yellow marbles initially be 5x5x, 1x1x, and 4x4x respectively, where xx is the common multiplier.

Step 2: Define the final conditions after giving marbles to Mr. Navneet

After giving some red and yellow marbles to Mr. Navneet, the number of marbles left becomes such that the ratio of red, black, and yellow marbles is 5:3:75:3:7. Let the new numbers of red, black, and yellow marbles be 5y5y, 3y3y, and 7y7y respectively, where yy is the new common multiplier.

Step 3: Set up equations based on the given information

  • Red marbles: Initially, there are 5x5x red marbles. After giving away some, 5y5y red marbles remain. So, number of red marbles given away=5x5y=5(xy)\text{So, number of red marbles given away} = 5x - 5y = 5(x - y)

  • Yellow marbles: Initially, there are 4x4x yellow marbles. After giving away some, 7y7y yellow marbles remain. So, number of yellow marbles given away=4x7y\text{So, number of yellow marbles given away} = 4x - 7y

  • Black marbles: The number of black marbles remains the same, so x=3yx = 3y.

Step 4: Simplify and solve for xx and yy

From the black marbles, we have: x=3yx = 3y Substitute this into the expressions for red and yellow marbles:

  • For red marbles: 5(3y)5y=10y5(3y) - 5y = 10y

  • For yellow marbles: 4(3y)7y=12y7y=5y4(3y) - 7y = 12y - 7y = 5y

So, the number of red marbles given away is 10y10y and the number of yellow marbles given away is 5y5y.

Step 5: Calculate the total number of marbles

  • Initial total number of marbles: Total initial=5x+1x+4x=10x=10(3y)=30y\text{Total initial} = 5x + 1x + 4x = 10x = 10(3y) = 30y

  • Final total number of marbles left: Total final=5y+3y+7y=15y\text{Total final} = 5y + 3y + 7y = 15y

So, nn (the minimum number of marbles left) is 15y15y.

Step 6: Calculate mm (total number of marbles given away)

m=30y15y=15ym = 30y - 15y = 15y

Given that mm is a two-digit number, we have: 15y=m    10y615y = m \implies 10 \leq y \leq 6

yy should be a number such that 15y15y gives a two-digit number, so y=1,2,3,,6y = 1, 2, 3, \dots, 6. Therefore, the maximum mm can be 9090 (when y=6y = 6) and minimum nn can be 1515 (when y=1y = 1).

Step 7: Compute the ratio mn\frac{m}{n}

mn=9015=6\frac{m}{n} = \frac{90}{15} = 6

Thus, the value of mn\frac{m}{n} is 66.

Would you like more details, or do you have any other questions?


Related Questions:

  1. What if Mr. Navneet had taken away some black marbles as well?
  2. How would the solution change if the initial ratio were different?
  3. Can you derive a general formula for m/nm/n given any initial and final ratios?
  4. What if the ratio after removing marbles was different, such as 3:2:5?
  5. How does the problem change if the total number of marbles is specified?
  6. What would happen if yy was not an integer?
  7. Can this problem be solved using algebraic equations directly without ratios?
  8. What would the result be if mm wasn't restricted to a two-digit number?

Tip: When solving problems with ratios, expressing all quantities in terms of a common multiplier helps simplify the problem.