Two vessels contain mixtures of milk and water in the ratio of $4:9$ in the first vessel and in the ratio of $2:7$ in the second vessel. In what ratio should the contents be mixed such that the resultant mixture has milk and water in the ratio of $2:5$ .

Answer Choices

Correct answer marked below

26/9

Correct

17/9

9/17

9/26

See the full step-by-step explanation

You can see the correct answer above. Sign in for free to unlock the complete worked solution.

Track your performance and improve

Get detailed analytics, unlock full explanations, and move up difficulty tiers as you practice.

Start for free Sign in

Explanation

Unlock the full explanation

Create a free account to reveal the correct answer, see the step-by-step explanation, and start tracking your GMAT progress.

Create free account Sign in

Comments

RohitJul 13

Did anyone else get 17/9? I used alligation with milk fractions and ended up with 17/9, but the answer says 26/9. I'm confused.

SamriddhiJul 22

I got 17/9 too at first, but then I realized I might have mixed up the vessels. Check your alligation diagram.

JayaJul 21

Yeah, I think the answer is 17/9. Maybe the choices have a typo? 26/9 seems too high.

JashwanthAug 4

This one is tricky because the total volumes change when you mix. I used the formula for mixing ratios: (m1 - m3)/(m3 - m2) where m is milk fraction. But I'm not sure if I should use milk or water fractions. Help?

ArshvirAug 10

Use milk fractions. The formula should give the ratio of amounts of the two mixtures. But double-check your fractions: 4/13, 2/9, and 2/7.

MagdalenaSep 15

I got 26/9. I used alligation with milk fractions: (2/7 - 2/9) / (4/13 - 2/7) = (4/63) / (2/91) = 26/9. So A is correct.

MaryamSep 19

The answer is 26/9. I verified by assuming we take x liters of first and y liters of second. Then milk total = 4x/13 + 2y/9, water total = 9x/13 + 7y/9. Set ratio to 2/5 and solve for x/y. You get 26/9.

What this question tests

What it tests

Your ability to reason about weighted averages and the composition of mixtures.

Common trap

Averaging the percentages of two solutions without weighting by their volumes.

Two vessels contain mixtures of milk and water in the ratio of 4:94:94:9 in the first vessel and in the ratio of 2:72:72:7 in the second vessel. In what ratio should the contents be mixed such that the resultant mixture has milk and water in the ratio of 2:52:52:5.