Four ounces of oregano and 2 ounces of garlic powder are mixed to create a pastry seasoning. Oregano costs $4 per ounce, and garlic powder costs $3 per ounce. The table below shows the costs of the ingredients.
What are x and y?
Seasoning
| | Ounces | Cost per Ounce | Total |
| :------- | :----- | :------------- | :---- |
| Oregano | 4 | 4 | x |
| Garlic Powder | 2 | 3 | y |
| Mixture | 6 | | 22 |
Answer (1)
Calculate the total cost of oregano: x = 4 ounces × ounce $4 = $16 .
Calculate the total cost of garlic powder: y = 2 ounces × ounce $3 = $6 .
Verify that the sum of the total cost of oregano and garlic powder equals the total cost of the mixture: x + y = $16 + $6 = $22 .
The total cost of oregano is $16 and the total cost of garlic powder is $6 . x = 16 , y = 6
Explanation
Understanding the Problem We are given a table that describes a party seasoning mixture containing oregano and garlic powder. We know the amount of each ingredient in ounces, the cost per ounce for each ingredient, and the total cost of the mixture. We need to find the total cost of oregano (x) and the total cost of garlic powder (y).
Calculating the Cost of Oregano First, let's calculate the total cost of oregano. We have 4 ounces of oregano that costs 4 p ero u n ce . S o , t h e t o t a l cos t o f ore g an o i s : x = 4 ounces × ounce $4 = $16 $
Calculating the Cost of Garlic Powder Next, let's calculate the total cost of garlic powder. We have 2 ounces of garlic powder that costs 3 p ero u n ce . S o , t h e t o t a l cos t o f g a r l i c p o w d er i s : y = 2 ounces × ounce $3 = $6 $
Verifying the Total Cost Finally, let's check if the sum of the total cost of oregano and garlic powder equals the total cost of the mixture, which is given as 22 : x + y = $16 + $6 = $22 $
Since the sum of the individual costs equals the total cost of the mixture, our calculations are correct.
Final Answer Therefore, the total cost of oregano is $16, and the total cost of garlic powder is $6.
Examples
Imagine you're baking a cake and need to figure out the cost of the ingredients. If you use 2 cups of flour at $2 per cup and 1 cup of sugar at $1 per cup, you can calculate the total cost of these ingredients. The flour costs $2 \times 2 = $4, and the sugar costs $1 \times 1 = $1. So, the total cost for flour and sugar is $4 + $1 = $5. This is similar to calculating the cost of the oregano and garlic powder in the seasoning mixture.
