Question

A town in east Texas received 15 inches of rain in two weeks. If it kept raining at this rate for a 31−day month, how much rain did the town receive? Round your answer to the nearest inch.

The town received approximately [blank] inches of rain during a 31−day month.

Answer 1

33 inches

Explanation:

The problem above shows a "direct proportion," which means that when one quantity increases (days), the other quantity increases (inches of rain).

Step 1: Represent the amount of rain by n.

Step 2: Setup a proportion.

`(15)/(14)` =
`(n)/(31)` (where 14 refers to the number of days in 2 weeks)

Step 3: Cross multiply:

15 x 31 = 14n

465 = 14n

Step 4: Find n by dividing both sides by 14.

n = 33.21

Step 5: Round off to the nearest inch.

n = 33 inches