Final answer:
To serve 13 people based on the given ratio, 5.2 pounds of meat are needed. This is determined by setting up a proportion and solving for the unknown quantity of meat.
Step-by-step explanation:
To solve the problem of how many pounds of meat are needed to serve 13 people based on the given ratio, we use a proportion. Initially, we know that two pounds of meat serves five people. We can set up a proportion comparing this relationship to the amount of meat needed for 13 people:
2 pounds / 5 people = x pounds / 13 people
To find the value of x, we cross multiply and solve for x:
2 people * 13 people = 5 people * x pounds
26 = 5x
Now, divide both sides by 5 to solve for x:
x = 26 / 5
x = 5.2 pounds
Therefore, you would need 5.2 pounds of meat to serve 13 people. This is a typical unit conversion and ratio problem from mathematics applied to a real-world scenario.