Question

The physician orders 150 mg/5 kg. The patient’s weight is 75 kg. How many grams of medication has the physician ordered?

Answer 1

Answer: 2.25 grams

Explanation:

In this problem, we are given the ratio of grams to weight. Since we are trying to find how many grams to give to a person with a specific weight, we can use proportions to solve.

`(150mg)/(5kg) =(x)/(75kg)` [cross multiply]

`11250=5x` [divide both sides by 5]

`x=2250mg`

We are almost done with the problem. The problem is asking for grams, not mg, so we can use unit conversions to change that.

`(1000mg)/(1g)=(2250mg)/(y)` [cross multiply]

`1000y=2250` [divide both sides by 1000]

`y=2.25`

Therefore, we need to give 2.25 grams.