Explain simply why 24 is the correct answer to: Andy is mixing blue, green and white paint in a 1 : 2 : 5 ratio. If he uses 6 gallons of green paint, how many gallons of paint does he use total?. Explanation:
First find the number of gallons of blue paint by multiplying the gallons of green paint by the ratio between the blue and green paint: 1 blue gallon / 2 green gallons * 6 gallons = 3 gallons. Then find the number of gallons of white paint by multiplying the gallons of green paint by the ratio between the white and green paint: 5 white gallons / 2 green gallons * 6 gallons = 15 gallons. Then add the number of gallons of each color to find the total number of gallons of paint: 6 gallons + 3 gallons + 15 gallons = 24 gallons.