Question

Why is the cost over the amount when finding the unit rate for money? When I put the item over the cost and continue on, I still result in the same answer. Can someone explain this? For example: $3/5 = x/1 x = 0.6 5/$3 = 1/x x = 0.6

a) True
b) False

Answer 1

When finding the unit rate for money, the unit rate is the cost per one unit. Depending on how you set up the fraction, the resulting unit rate may be different.

Step-by-step explanation:

When finding the unit rate for money, it is important to understand that the unit rate is the cost per one unit. So, if you put the amount over the cost, you are actually finding the rate of change in the amount per one unit of cost. This is why the resulting answer may be different when you put the item over the cost compared to when you put the cost over the item.

For example, in your calculation: $3/5, you are finding the rate of change in dollars per one unit of 5. The result is 0.6 dollars per 1 unit.

When you do the calculation 5/$3, you are finding the rate of change in units per one dollar. The result is 1 unit per 0.6 dollars.

So, the correct answer is b) False. There is a difference in the resulting unit rate depending on how you set up the fraction.