How many ounces of a 50% active ingredient must be mixed to produce a 1% dilution in 2 gallons?

To determine the correct amount of a 50% active ingredient needed to produce a 1% dilution in 2 gallons, first, it's essential to convert the volume from gallons to ounces because the answer choices are in ounces. There are 128 ounces in a gallon, so in 2 gallons, there are 256 ounces (2 gallons x 128 ounces/gallon).

Next, to achieve a 1% concentration in 256 ounces, you need to calculate 1% of 256 ounces.

1% of 256 ounces is calculated as:

1% of 256 ounces = 0.01 x 256 = 2.56 ounces.

Since the active ingredient is concentrated at 50%, to find out how much of the concentrated product you need to use to achieve the desired amount of active ingredient, you need to understand that you will only be getting half the amount of the active ingredient with each ounce used.

Therefore, when you want 2.56 ounces of the active ingredient, and since you have a 50% concentration, you need to use 2.56 ounces / 0.50 = 5.12 ounces of the 50% solution to obtain the necessary active material that equates to