Problem:
Paula the painter had just enough paint for identically sized rooms. Unfortunately, on the way to work, three cans of paint fell off her truck, so she had only enough paint for rooms. How many cans of paint did she use for the rooms?
Answer Choices:
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Solution:
The loss of cans of paint resulted in fewer rooms being painted, so the ratio of cans of paint to rooms painted is . Hence for rooms she would require cans of paint.
If she used cans of paint for rooms, then . Hence , and .
The problems on this page are the property of the MAA's American Mathematics Competitions