3.74

To solve the problem, you need to determine the amount of waste produced when making applesauce.

The problem states that for every 9 parts of applesauce, 2 parts are waste (cores). You're also given that the production yields 24.5 parts of applesauce.

First, find the total parts (applesauce + waste):

Given the ratio:

• 9 parts applesauce : 2 parts waste

This means for every 11 parts in total, 9 are applesauce and 2 are waste.

Now, to find the amount of waste produced when having 24.5 parts of applesauce, set up the proportion:

\[ \frac{9}{11} = \frac{24.5}{x} \]

Where \( x \) is the total amount of parts (applesauce + waste).

Solving for \( x \):

\[ x = \frac{24.5 \times 11}{9} = 29.9444 \]

Now, find the amount of waste:

Since the ratio of waste in the total parts is 2 parts of waste for every 11 parts total, calculate:

\[ \text{Waste} = \frac{2}{11} \times 29.9444 \]

Solve for the waste:

\[ \text{Waste} \approx 5.444 \]

So, about 5.44 parts are waste.