Math Problem of the Week - Middle School - Sept. 12, 2021 to Sept. 18, 2021

Middle School: 

Question: A giant panda eats 30 pounds of bamboo per day. If 5 giant pandas live in a sanctuary that produces 145 pounds of edible bamboo per day and the sanctuary currently has 60 pounds of edible bamboo available to the pandas, then how long will it take for the pandas to run out of bamboo?

Answer:  12 days

Solution:  Each day, the 5 pandas eat 30 × 5 = 150 pounds of bamboo. So, the pandas decrease the amount of bamboo by 150 pounds each day. The bamboo grows 145 pounds each day. So, overall, the bamboo decreases by 5 pounds per day. If the sanctuary currently has 60 pounds of bamboo, that means that the pandas will run out of bamboo in 60 ÷ 5 = 12 days.