SOLVING UNIT RATE WORD PROBLEMS

Problem 1 :

Sven drives his car 455 miles, using 14 gallons of gasoline. How many miles per gallon does his car get?

Solution :

Distance covered by Sven using

14 gallons of gasoline = 455 miles

To find the distance covered by his car using 1 gallon of gasoline, we will divide by 14 on both sides.

1 gallon of gasoline = 455/14

= 32.5 miles

So, he can cover 32.5 miles using 1 gallon of gasoline.

Problem 2 :

The grocery store charges $3.99 for a case of 24 bottles of water. What is the unit price?

Solution :

Cost of 24 bottles of water = $3.99

Cost of 1 bottle of water = 3.99/24

= 0.166

So, the unit price is $0.166.

Problem 3 :

The pressroom at a printing plant prints 540,000 sections in 12 hours. How many sections are printed per hour?

Solution :

Number of sections printed in 12 hours = 540, 000

Number of prints in 1 hour = 540, 000/12

= 45000

So, 45000 sections can be in 1 hour printed.

Problem 4 :

The bindery at a printing plant assembles 96,000 magazines in 12 hours. How many magazines are assembled in one hour?

Solution :

Number of magazines assembled in 12 hours = 96000

Number of magazines assembled in 1 hour = 96000/12

= 8000

So, 8000 magazines can be assembled in 1 hour.

Problem 5 :

The pet store has a special on cat food. The price is $4.32 for 12 cans. How much does each can cost?

Solution :

Cost of 12 cans of cat food = $4.32

Cost of 1 can = 4.32/12

= $0.36

So, cost of 1 can food is $0.36.

Problem 6 :

The grocery store has a special on macaroni and cheese. The price is $3.87 for 3 boxes. How much does each box cost?

Solution :

Cost of 3 boxes = $3.87

Cost of 1 box = 3.87/3

= $1.29

So, cost of 1 box is $1.29.

Problem 7 :

One elementary school in Ohio has 684 students and 45 teachers. Write the student-to-teacher ratio as a unit rate.

Solution :

Given :

45 teachers : 684 students

Dividing both parts by 45, we get

1 teacher : 684/45 students

1 teacher : 15.2

Approximately 15.

So, 1 teacher can teach 15 students.

Problem 8 :

A popular fast food burger weighs 7.5 ounces and contains 540 calories, 29 grams of fat, 43 grams of carbohydrates, and 25 grams of protein. Find the unit rate of 

a) calories per ounce

b)  grams of fat per ounce

c) grams of carbohydrates per ounce

d) grams of protein per ounce.

Round to two decimal places.

Solution :

a) 7.5 ounces : 540 calories

Dividing both parts by 7.5, we get

1 ounce : 540/7.5 calories

1 ounce : 72 calories

b) 7.5 ounces : 29 grams of fat

Dividing both parts by 7.5

1 ounce : 29/7.5

1 ounce : 3.86

c) 7.5 ounces : 43 grams of carbohydrates

Dividing both parts by 7.5, we get

1 : 43/7.5 grams of carbohydrates

1 ounce : 5.733 grams of carbohydrates

d) 7.5 ounce : 25 grams of protien

Dividing both parts by 7.5, we get

1 ounce : 25/7.5

1 ounce : 3.33 grams of protien