Final answer:
To find the amount of water needed for one and a half cups of rice, a proportion was established based on the original ratio. After calculating, the answer is 2 1/2 cups of water, which is answer choice (C).
Step-by-step explanation:
To calculate the amount of water needed for one and a half cups of rice, we need to set up a proportion based on the given ratio that one cup of rice requires one and two-thirds cups of water. The proportion is:
1 cup of rice / 1 2/3 cups of water = 1.5 cups of rice / x cups of water,
where x represents the amount of water required for 1.5 cups of rice. We can solve for x by cross-multiplication:
(1 cup of rice) * (x cups of water) = (1.5 cups of rice) * (1 2/3 cups of water).
Converting one and two-thirds cups to an improper fraction gives us 5/3 cups. So the equation becomes:
1 * x = 1.5 * (5/3),
Therefore, x = 1.5 * (5/3) = 7.5/3 = 2.5 or 2 1/2 cups of water. So, the correct answer is (C) 2 1/2 cups of water needed for one and a half cups of rice.