High School

A contractor uses the table below to determine the number of bags of concrete needed to build a concrete structure. Based on the table, each time the area increases by 25 square feet, the concrete needed increases by how many bags?

[tex]
\[
\begin{tabular}{|c|c|c|}
\hline
\text{Area (sq ft)} & \text{40 lb Bags of Concrete} & \text{50 lb Bags of Concrete} \\
\hline
100 & 112 & 90 \\
\hline
125 & 140 & 112 \\
\hline
150 & 168 & 134 \\
\hline
175 & 196 & 156 \\
\hline
200 & 224 & 178 \\
\hline
225 & 252 & 200 \\
\hline
250 & 280 & 222 \\
\hline
\end{tabular}
\]
[/tex]

A. 14 bags
B. 18 bags
C. 22 bags
D. 28 bags

Answer :

To determine the pattern and find the correct answer, follow these steps:

1. Identify the Pattern: Look at the table and observe how the number of bags changes as the area increases. Notice that every time the area increases by 25 square feet, there's a consistent increase in the number of bags required.

2. Determine the Increase for 50 lb Bags: For the 50 lb bags, the pattern in the table shows that for every 25 square feet increase, the number of bags increases by 22. For example:
- From 125 sq ft (112 bags) to 150 sq ft (134 bags) is an increase of 22 bags.
- Similarly, from 150 sq ft (134 bags) to 175 sq ft (156 bags) is an increase of 22 bags, and so on.

3. Confirm the Increase: The consistent increase of 22 bags for every 25 square feet increase is confirmed throughout the table.

4. Conclusion: For an additional 25 square feet, you would need 22 more 50 lb bags of concrete.

Thus, based on the table and pattern observed, the correct answer is:

C. 22 bags