Explanation
Let the initial total volume of the mixture in the beaker be V litres. The initial ratio of liquid X to liquid Y is 5:3, which means liquid X is 5/8 of the total mixture and liquid Y is 3/8 of the total mixture.
When 6 litres of the mixture is drawn off, the remaining volume of the mixture is V - 6 litres. In this remaining mixture, the ratio of X to Y remains 5:3.
Therefore, the remaining quantity of X is (5/8) × (V - 6) and the remaining quantity of Y is (3/8) × (V - 6).
When 6 litres of liquid Y is added to the mixture, the new quantity of Y becomes (3/8) × (V - 6) + 6.
The new ratio of X to Y is given as 5:7. Setting up the equation:
[(5/8) × (V - 6)] / [(3/8) × (V - 6) + 6] = 5/7
Dividing the numerator of both sides by 5:
[(1/8) × (V - 6)] / [(3/8) × (V - 6) + 6] = 1/7
Cross-multiplying to solve for V:
(7/8) × (V - 6) = (3/8) × (V - 6) + 6
(4/8) × (V - 6) = 6
½ × (V - 6) = 6
V - 6 = 12
V = 18 litres
Thus, the initial total volume of the mixture was 18 litres.
The initial quantity of liquid X was:
(5/8) × 18 = 90/8 = 11.25 litres