The bowhead whale weighs 150 tons and the Indian elephant weighs one-thirtieth of its mass.

The bowhead whale weighs 150 tons and the Indian elephant weighs one-thirtieth of its mass. What is the Indian elephant’s mass?

Let us denote the unknown mass of the Indian elephant by the letter X.

Let us compare in proportion the mass of the bowhead whale, as 1 whole, or 30/30 of the total mass, and the unknown mass of the elephant, as 1/30 of the total mass.

Let’s make the proportion and find the mass of the elephant:

150 tons – make up 1 whole, or 30/30 of the total weight;

X tons – make up 1/30 of the total weight;

X = 150 tons * 1/30/1 = 150/30 = 5 tons = 5000 kg.

Answer: The mass of the Indian elephant is 5 tons and it is 30 times less than the mass of a whale.