Question: An elevator at a construction site has a maximum capacity of 1695 pounds. If the elevator operator…

An elevator at a construction site has a maximum capacity of 1695 pounds. If the elevator operator weighs 175 pounds and each cement bag weighs 40 pounds, how many bags of cement can be safely lifted on the elevator in one trip?

At most, \(\boxed{\phantom{0}}\) bags of cement can be safely lifted on the elevator in one trip.

Solution

Step 1: Set up the inequality based on the maximum capacity. \[ 175 + 40x \leq 1696 & \] Step 2: Subtract 175 from both sides to isolate the terms with \( x \). \[ 40x \leq 1521 & \] Step 3: Divide both sides by 40 to solve for \( x \). \[ x \leq 38.025 & \] Step 4: Since the number of bags must be an integer, the maximum number of bags is 38. Answer: 38