The Bakery's Flour Budget
A small bakery is preparing for a weekend rush. It has 42 kg of flour in stock and expects a delivery of 3 sacks, each weighing 12.5 kg, arriving Saturday morning. Each loaf of bread requires 0.75 kg of flour, and each batch of croissants requires 2.4 kg. The baker wants to make 30 loaves and 8 batches of croissants before the delivery arrives, then use the delivered flour plus whatever remains for Sunday's production. A supplier invoice shows the delivery sacks actually weigh 12.5 kg, 11.8 kg, and 13.2 kg, not the uniform 12.5 kg assumed earlier.
1. Can the baker complete Saturday's planned production (30 loaves and 8 croissant batches) before the delivery? Show the arithmetic and state the leftover flour.
Read the worked answer
Flour for loaves: 30 × 0.75 = 22.5 kg. Flour for croissants: 8 × 2.4 = 19.2 kg. Total needed: 22.5 + 19.2 = 41.7 kg. Starting stock is 42 kg, so 42 − 41.7 = 0.3 kg remains. Yes, production is possible, with 0.3 kg left over.
2. Using the actual delivery weights, how much flour is available for Sunday, and how many full loaves could that make if no croissants are baked?
Read the worked answer
Actual delivery: 12.5 + 11.8 + 13.2 = 37.5 kg. Add the 0.3 kg leftover: 37.8 kg available Sunday. Loaves: 37.8 ÷ 0.75 = 50.4, so 50 full loaves (0.3 kg remains, not enough for another loaf). Note the difference from the assumed 37.5 kg delivery - the actual total happens to match the uniform assumption here, but only because the deviations cancel.
3. The baker instead wants to maximize the number of croissant batches while still making all 30 loaves. How many full batches can be made from Sunday's 37.8 kg?
Read the worked answer
After 30 loaves use 22.5 kg, remaining flour is 37.8 − 22.5 = 15.3 kg. Batches: 15.3 ÷ 2.4 = 6.375, so 6 full batches (using 14.4 kg), with 0.9 kg left over.