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Proportions in Word Problems Guide

The document provides a guide on solving word problems using proportions, including setting up ratios, using cross-multiplication, and answering the questions. It includes examples such as calculating costs, comparing quantities, and determining work rates. The focus is on applying proportional reasoning to various real-life scenarios.

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3 views1 page

Proportions in Word Problems Guide

The document provides a guide on solving word problems using proportions, including setting up ratios, using cross-multiplication, and answering the questions. It includes examples such as calculating costs, comparing quantities, and determining work rates. The focus is on applying proportional reasoning to various real-life scenarios.

Uploaded by

will b
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Name: ____________________________ Date: __________________________

MFM2P: Foundations of Mathematics 10 Similarity and Trigonometry

Word Problems Using Proportions


“It costs $3.00 for 5 litres of cola. How much does it cost to purchase 20 litres of cola?”

1. Set Up a Proportion
Comparing Two Ratios or Rates Directly Comparing Same Quantities Across Both Ratios
$ 3.00 $ cost $ 3.00 5 litres
= =
5 litres 20 litres $ cost 20 litres
2. Look For a Pattern or Use Cross-Multiplication To Solve
Using a Pattern Cross-Multiplication
since 5×4 = 20 5 c = 3×20
therefore 3×4 = 12 5c 60
=
5 5
c = 12
3. Answer the Question
“It costs $12.00 to purchase 20 litres of cola.”
4. Examples
A. “The ratio of cats to dogs in a pet store is 3:2. If there are 18 cats in the store, how many dogs are there?”
3 cats 18 cats
Set up a proportion comparing the number of cats to dogs, = .
2 dogs d dogs
Since 3×6=18 , therefore 2×6=12 . There are 12 dogs in the store.
B. “The exchange rate for Canadian/US dollars is $100CDN for $83USD. If you exchange $350CDN for US
funds, how much do you have to spend?”
100 CDN 350 CDN
Set up a proportion comparing the value of $CDN to $USD, = .
83USD d USD
Cross-multiply to solve for n.
100 d = 83×350
100 d 29 050
=
100 100
d = 290.5
You can spend $290.50USD.
C. “It takes a team of construction workers 5 days to pave 2 km of road. At this rate, how many kilometres of
road can they pave in two weeks?”
2 km n km
Set up a proportion comparing the length of road to the number of days, = .
5 days 14days
Cross-multiply to solve for n.
5 n = 2×14
5n 28
=
5 5
n = 5.6
The workers can pave 5.6 km in two weeks.

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