High School

Jerry needs to load four pieces of equipment onto a factory elevator that has a weight limit of 800 pounds. Jerry weighs 200 pounds. What would the average weight of each item have to be so that the elevator's weight limit is not exceeded, assuming Jerry accompanies the equipment?

A. 128 pounds
B. 150 pounds
C. 175 pounds
D. 180 pounds

Answer :

Final answer:

To find the average weight of each piece of equipment, subtract Jerry's weight from the elevator's weight limit, then divide by the number of items. The average weight should be 150 pounds per item.

Explanation:

Jerry needs to calculate the average weight of each item that he can take on the elevator without exceeding the weight limit. First, we need to subtract Jerry's weight from the weight limit of the elevator. Jerry weighs 200 pounds, and the elevator's weight limit is 800 pounds. So, the total weight that the equipment can be is 800 - 200 = 600 pounds.

Since there are four pieces of equipment, we then divide the total allowable weight of the equipment by four to find the average weight per item. This results in 600 รท 4 = 150 pounds. Therefore, the average weight of each piece of equipment must be 150 pounds to ensure they do not exceed the elevator's weight limit.