5.2 Ratios and proportions: rates and unit prices

Rates and unit prices

Rate

Note: “per” means division, or for each.

Example 1:

To answer this question, we must first set up the equation. Miles per gallon can be written as Miles divided by gallons. 390 miles divided by 15 gallons. We want to know the number of miles per one gallon of gasoline. We need to divide 390 divided by 15. The 2009 Ford Escape gets 26 miles per gallon of gasoline.

Unit pricing

Note: “per” means division, or for each.

Example 1:

We are looking for the price per pound. The cost per pound is calculated by 6 Dollars per 3 pounds. 6 Dollars divided by 3 pounds. 6 divided by 3 is 2. The cost is 2 dollars per pound of apples.