Question

A 5-pound bag of apples costs $3.50. Use the rate to complete the table to identify equivalent ratios, and then answer your question.

Apples: 5 * 15
Cost: 0.70, 3.60, 7?

Answer 1

To find the cost of 15 pounds of apples using equivalent ratios, you start with the known rate of $0.70 per pound. Then, based on the given 5-pound bag cost of $3.50, you can calculate that 15 pounds would cost $10.50.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question requires us to use the given rate to establish equivalent ratios for the cost of apples. We know that a 5-pound bag of apples costs $3.50, establishing the rate at $0.70 per pound. To fill in the table correctly, we need to maintain this rate.

Since 5 pounds of apples cost $3.50, we can calculate the cost for 15 pounds by setting up a ratio:

• 5 pounds of apples / $3.50 = 15 pounds of apples / x dollars

Now, we solve for x:

1. Multiply both sides by x to get rid of the fraction on the right side: 5 pounds/$3.50 = x dollars/15 pounds
2. Next, we cross-multiply: 5 pounds × x dollars = $3.50 × 15 pounds
3. Which simplifies to: 5x = $52.50
4. Finally, we divide both sides by 5: x = $52.50 / 5
5. x = $10.50

Hence, 15 pounds of apples would cost $10.50, maintaining the equivalent ratio.