Final answer:
To calculate the flow rate for a tube-feeding of 180 milliliters in 20 minutes, convert the time to hours, and then use the formula Q = V/t. The flow rate is found to be 540 milliliters per hour.
Step-by-step explanation:
To calculate the flow rate in milliliters per hour for the given scenario where a patient must receive a tube feeding of 180 milliliters in 20 minutes, we need to first convert the time into hours. Since there are 60 minutes in an hour, 20 minutes is equivalent to 20 / 60 hours or 1/3 of an hour. The flow rate (Q) can be calculated using the formula Q = V/t, where V is the volume in milliliters and t is the time in hours.
By substituting the given values into the formula, we get Q = 180 mL / (1/3 hour) = 180 mL * (3/1 hour) = 540 mL/hour.
Therefore, the flow rate at which the feeding solution must be administered is 540 milliliters per hour.