27.27 lb of water must be allowed to evaporate
Explanations:Weight of the paint mixture = 300 lb
The paint mixture contains 20% solids suspended in water
Weight of solids suspended in water = (20/100) x 300
Weight of solids suspended in water = 60 lb
Let the weight of the mixture after evaporation be w
[tex]\begin{gathered} \frac{22}{100}\times w\text{ = 60} \\ 0.22w\text{ = 60} \\ w\text{ = }\frac{60}{0.22} \\ w\text{ = }272.73\text{ lb} \end{gathered}[/tex]The weight of the mixture after evaporation = 272.73lb
The weight of water that will be allowed to evaporate = 300 lb - 272.73 lb
The weight of water that will be allowed to evaporate = 27.27 lb
Therefore, 27.27 lb of water must be allowed to evaporate
