Question

The recipe makes enough stew for 6 people, and the ingredients cost $9.75. How much would it cost to serve 24 people?

A student solved the problem using the proportion Explain the error in this proportion.

Answer 1

In the second ratio, the number of people is the denominator. It should be the numerator to match the first ratio.

Explanation:

Answer 2

If the recipe makes enough stew for 6 people, and the ingredients cost $9.75, then for 24 people it will cost $x. You can write this statement as

6 people - $9.75,

24 people - $x.

Or as proportion,

`(6)/(24)=(9.75)/(x).`

Find x:

`6\cdot x=9.75\cdot 24,\\ \\x=(9.75\cdot 24)/(6)=9.75\cdot 4=39.`

Answer: It would cost $39 to serve 24 people