bonanova Posted February 3, 2011 Report Share Posted February 3, 2011 A while back it was noted that a famous soft drink was 99% water. The other contents, that gave the drink its exquisite taste, weren't identified. One day a vat containing 1000 pounds of the drink was left uncovered, and due to evaporation its water content decreased to 98%. What was its decrease in weight? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0 Guest Posted February 3, 2011 Report Share Posted February 3, 2011 1% of the vat is evaporated leaving 990 pounds of drink in the vat A while back it was noted that a famous soft drink was 99% water. The other contents, that gave the drink its exquisite taste, weren't identified. One day a vat containing 1000 pounds of the drink was left uncovered, and due to evaporation its water content decreased to 98%. What was its decrease in weight? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0 bonanova Posted February 3, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 3, 2011 1% of the vat is evaporated leaving 990 pounds of drink in the vat Nope. Perhaps deceptively simple? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0 Guest Posted February 3, 2011 Report Share Posted February 3, 2011 99% is assumed to be by weight, not volume for e.g.. also assumed that the "other content" doesn't evaporate.. Initially, we have 990 pounds of water and 10 pounds of "other content". Water evaporates so it becomes 98%.. meaning we have 490 pounds of water and 10 pounds of "other content".. So the decrease in weight is 500 pounds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0 Aaryan Posted February 3, 2011 Report Share Posted February 3, 2011 out of 1000 pounds, an immediate 990 pounds is water. Minus 1%, which is 10 pounds, you get 980pounds But, wait, only its water content decreased! That means now 2% is the other flavors, so NO CHANGE IN WEIGHT! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0 Guest Posted February 3, 2011 Report Share Posted February 3, 2011 It must be 19.8 pounds Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0 Guest Posted February 3, 2011 Report Share Posted February 3, 2011 This should be quite simple: After evaporation - 10 pounds is 2% of the total mass of the mix => the mass after evaporation is 500 pounds. Hence the decrease is 500 pounds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0 k-man Posted February 3, 2011 Report Share Posted February 3, 2011 There is 10 pounds of "other content" and it was originally 1% of the total weight and now it's 2% of the total weight. So the total weight is now 500 pounds, so the decrease is also 500 pounds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0 Guest Posted February 3, 2011 Report Share Posted February 3, 2011 i guess it depends on how you read the problem. if "vat containing 1000 pounds of the drink was left uncovered, and due to evaporation its water content decreased to 98%." means that, porportional to the vat, the water content decreased, then its 980. if you mean compared to the other fluid, it's content decreased to 98%, then it is now 500 pounds, with 10 of the pounds "other". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0 Guest Posted February 3, 2011 Report Share Posted February 3, 2011 If you are talking about 98% of 990 pounds of water than it's 19.8 or else it must be 500 pounds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0 MissKitten Posted February 3, 2011 Report Share Posted February 3, 2011 simple. 500. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0 bonanova Posted February 3, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 3, 2011 methinks, krokce, k-man, phillip182 and MissKittten have it. methinks is first solver. MissKitten's observation is correct, this puzzle is a "chestnut" and has appeared in various forms previously. It retains a certain charm in that the wrong answer is seemingly so obvious. The answer turns on two assumptions: . 1. First, 99% and 98% refer to the same thing - the fractional part of the soft drink that is water. There are two, maybe three, reasons to make this assumption. The first mention, 99%, explicitly refers to the composition of the drink. The second mention, 98% would logically refer to the same thing, and not for example of the vat. Further, for you grammar purists, the closest antecedent to "it" in "its water content decreased to 98%" is "drink", not "vat." Finally, "its weight" would not decrease at all, it "its" referred to the vat and not to its contents. . 2. The second assumption is implicit. Only the water portion of the drink evaporated. There are two reasons to make this assumption. The "other contents" may well be solids and not subject to evaporation. Further, if they were liquids and subject to evaporation as well, the percentage composition would not change. . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0 wolfgang Posted February 3, 2011 Report Share Posted February 3, 2011 10 pounds Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Question
bonanova
A while back it was noted that a famous soft drink was 99% water.
The other contents, that gave the drink its exquisite taste, weren't identified.
One day a vat containing 1000 pounds of the drink was left uncovered,
and due to evaporation its water content decreased to 98%.
What was its decrease in weight?
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