Final answer:
To find how much flour the baker needs to make 288 cupcakes, set up a proportion using the given information. The baker needs 36 cups of flour to make 288 cupcakes.
Step-by-step explanation:
To find how much flour the baker needs to make 288 cupcakes, we can set up a proportion using the given information.
In the original recipe, the baker uses 1 1/2 cups of flour to make 12 cupcakes. So, the proportion would be:
1 1/2 cups / 12 cups = x cups / 288 cups
To solve for x, we can cross-multiply and solve for x:
(1 1/2)(288) = 12x
432 = 12x
x = 432 / 12 = 36
Therefore, the baker needs 36 cups of flour to make 288 cupcakes.