High School

At the gym, Jasper was able to bench press 224 pounds, which was [tex]\frac{7}{8}[/tex] of the weight that Balin was able to bench press. Which shows the correct equation and value of [tex]x[/tex], the weight that Balin could bench press?

A. [tex]\frac{7}{8} x = 224; \, x = 196[/tex] pounds

B. [tex]\frac{7}{8} x = 224; \, x = 256[/tex] pounds

C. [tex]\frac{7}{8} = \frac{x}{224}; \, x = 196[/tex] pounds

Answer :

To find out how much weight Balin could bench press, we need to solve the equation given in the problem. We know that Jasper bench pressed 224 pounds, which is [tex]\(\frac{7}{8}\)[/tex] of Balin's bench press weight.

Here's the equation modeled after this situation:

[tex]\[
\frac{7}{8} \times x = 224
\][/tex]

To find [tex]\(x\)[/tex], which is the weight Balin could bench press, we need to get [tex]\(x\)[/tex] by itself on one side of the equation. We can do this by multiplying both sides of the equation by the reciprocal of [tex]\(\frac{7}{8}\)[/tex], which is [tex]\(\frac{8}{7}\)[/tex].

Here are the steps:

1. Multiply both sides by [tex]\(\frac{8}{7}\)[/tex]:

[tex]\[
x = 224 \times \frac{8}{7}
\][/tex]

2. Perform the multiplication:

[tex]\[
x = 256
\][/tex]

Therefore, the correct equation and value for [tex]\(x\)[/tex], the weight that Balin could bench press, is:

[tex]\[
\frac{7}{8} \times x = 224 ; \quad x = 256 \text{ pounds}
\][/tex]

So, the correct choice is:

[tex]\[\frac{7}{8} x=224 ; x=256 \text{ pounds}\][/tex]