Final answer:
The rate and the unit rate are equivalent when they represent the same amount of change in the same amount of time. This helps us to compare different rates using a common reference value.
Step-by-step explanation:
A rate is a measure of how some property varies with time. For example, speed is a rate that expresses the distance traveled by an object in a given amount of time. Similarly, the rate of a chemical reaction is a measure of how much reactant is consumed or how much product is produced, by the reaction in a given amount of time.
When we say that the rate and the unit rate are equivalent, it means that both quantities represent the same amount of change in the same amount of time. The unit rate is a comparison of two measurements, one of which has a value of 1. This helps us to understand rates because it allows us to compare different rates using a common reference value. For example, if we have two rates, one is 55 miles per hour and the other is 110 miles per 2 hours, we can say that the unit rate for both of them is 55 miles per hour.