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ALLIGATION or MIXTURE
Alligation:
Alligation is a rule to find the proportion in which two or more ingredients at
the given price must be mixed to produce a mixture at a given price.
Cost per price of unit Quantity of the mixture is called the Mean price.
Rule of alligation:
If two ingredients are mixed in a ratio, then

Quantity of cheaper
(C.P.of dearer) (Mean price)

Quantity of dearer
(Mean price) (C.P.of cheaper)

Cost price of a unit

Cheaper quantity (c)

C.P. of a unit
quantity of dearer (d)

Mean Price (m)

dm

mc

Cheaper Quantity: dearer quantity = (d m) : (m c)

EXAMPLES:
1. How many kg of wheat costing Rs.6.10 /kg must be mixed with 126 kg of wheat
costing Rs.2.85/kg, so that 15% may be gained by selling the mixture at
Rs.4.60/kg.
C.P. of mixture =

100
4.60 Rs.4
115

C.P. of 1kg of cheaper

wheat
(285 paise)

C.P. of 1 kg of
dearer wheat
(610 paise)

Mean Price
(400 paise)
115
210
Quantity of cheaper wheat
210 42

=
Quantity of dearer wheat
115 23

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If cheaper wheat is 42 kg then dear one is 23 kg.

If cheaper wheat is 126 kg, then dearer one =

23
126 69kg
42

2. A waiter stole wine from a bottle of sherry, which contained 30% of spirit, and he
filled the join with wine, which contains only 15% of spirit. The strength of the jar
then was only 22%. How much of the did he steal?

Wine with 30% spirit

15%

Wine with
Spirit

22

By alligation rule
wine with 30% of spirit
7

wine with 15% of spirit

8
They must mixed in the ratio 7:8.
The waiter removed

8
of the jar.
15

3. x covers a distance of 60 km in 6 hrs partly on foot at the rate of 4 km/hr and

partly on a cycle at 14 km/hr. Find the distance traveled on foot.
Average distance traveled in 1 hr = 10 km
Suppose x travels y hrs at 4km/hr
He travels (6 y) hrs at 14km/hr
Total distance travelled = 4y + (6 y) 14 km
4y + (6 y)14 = 60
y = 2.4
4. A mixture of 40 litres of milk contains 20% of water. How much water must be
added to make the water 25% in the new mixture?

20
40 8 litres.
100
Quantity of milk initially = 40 8 = 32 litres
Milk + Water = (32) + (8 + x) = 40 + x
We are given that
8x
100 25
40 x
Water quantity initially =

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x
6

8
3

2
litres of water must be added.
3

5. Four litres of phenol is drawn from a can. It is then filled water. Four litres of
mixture is drawn again and the bottle is again filled with water. The quantity of
phenol now left in the bottle is to that of water is in the ratio 36:13. How much
does the bottle hold?
Hint:
Amount of liquid left after n operation, if x is the capacity of the container
from which y units are taken out each time is

x 1
x

units.

Here y = 4 n = 2
4

4 1
x

36
49

9
49

4 3

x 7
x=7
The bottle holds 7 litres.
1

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