Ice Cream Sales: How Many Did Marcela Sell?

Introduction

Hey guys! Today, we're diving into a cool math problem about Marcela, who made a bunch of ice cream and had some sales goals. Let's figure out how many ice creams she actually sold. This is a classic example of how math pops up in everyday situations, especially when you're running a business, even if it's just a small ice cream stand! We'll break down the problem step by step, so it's super easy to follow along. Think of it as a fun brain workout with a sweet, icy reward at the end (well, mentally, at least!). So, grab your thinking caps, and let's get started!

Understanding the Problem

So, Marcela had a big day planned, right? She whipped up 300 delicious ice creams, and she was hoping to make $450,000 from selling them all. That's a pretty ambitious goal! But, as the day went on, things didn't quite go as planned. At the end of the day, she counted her money, and she had made $187,500. Now, the big question is: how many of those 300 ice creams did Marcela actually sell? This is where our math skills come in handy. We need to figure out the price of each ice cream and then see how many ice creams she sold to reach that $187,500 mark. It's like a mini-mystery, and we're the detectives! We'll use some simple division and a bit of logical thinking to crack this case. Remember, the key to solving any math problem is to take it one step at a time. We'll break down the information into smaller, manageable chunks. This makes the whole process less intimidating and more fun. Think of it like building a puzzle – each piece of information fits together to reveal the final answer. So, let's gather our clues and start piecing together the solution!

Calculating the Price per Ice Cream

Okay, so the first thing we need to figure out is how much Marcela was charging for each ice cream. This is a crucial step because once we know the price per ice cream, we can then figure out how many she sold. To do this, we'll use a little bit of division. Remember, Marcela hoped to make $450,000 by selling 300 ice creams. So, we'll divide the total expected earnings by the number of ice creams. This will give us the price of one ice cream. It's like sharing a big pile of money equally among a certain number of items – each item gets its fair share, which in this case, is the price. Now, let's do the math: $450,000 divided by 300. Grab your calculators or your mental math muscles, and let's crunch these numbers! You'll see that the calculation is pretty straightforward, and it gives us a clear understanding of the value Marcela placed on each of her delicious ice creams. This is a common business concept – figuring out your pricing to reach your sales goals. So, by solving this simple division problem, we're not just finding an answer; we're also learning a little bit about how businesses work. Once we have the price per ice cream, we'll be one step closer to solving the whole mystery.

Determining the Number of Ice Creams Sold

Alright, now that we've figured out the price of each ice cream, we're ready to tackle the main question: how many ice creams did Marcela actually sell? We know she made $187,500 at the end of the day, and we know the price of each ice cream. So, to find the number of ice creams sold, we're going to use division again. This time, we'll divide the total amount Marcela earned by the price of one ice cream. This will tell us how many ice creams it took to reach that $187,500. It's like having a big bag of coins and figuring out how many of a certain item you can buy with that money. Each coin represents the price of one ice cream, and the total amount represents Marcela's earnings. So, let's get to it! We'll divide $187,500 by the price we calculated earlier. This might seem like a big number to divide, but don't worry, it's totally manageable. You can use a calculator or break it down into smaller steps. The important thing is to understand the logic behind the calculation. We're essentially figuring out how many "ice cream units" are in Marcela's total earnings. Once we have this number, we'll have solved the mystery of how many ice creams Marcela sold on that busy day. So, let's do the math and see what we get!

Solution

Let's break down the solution step by step, guys. First, we need to calculate the price per ice cream. Marcela expected to earn $450,000 from 300 ice creams. So, the price per ice cream is:

$450,000 / 300 = $1,500

Each ice cream costs $1,500. Now, to find out how many ice creams Marcela actually sold, we divide the total amount she earned ($187,500) by the price per ice cream ($1,500):

$187,500 / $1,500 = 125

Therefore, Marcela sold 125 ice creams.

Conclusion

So, there you have it! Marcela sold 125 ice creams. Math can be super helpful in figuring out real-world situations, like how many ice creams you need to sell to reach your goals. This problem showed us how to use division to solve for unknown quantities. Remember, the key is to break down the problem into smaller steps and understand what each piece of information represents. Whether you're running an ice cream stand, selling lemonade, or just trying to figure out how much change you should get, these math skills will come in handy. And who knows, maybe you'll be the next Marcela, running a successful business with your amazing math skills! Keep practicing, keep exploring, and remember that math is all around us, making the world a little easier to understand. And hey, maybe next time, Marcela will sell all 300 ice creams!