Math word problem

Question

Chef Alonzo is creating a recipe called spicy Italian chicken with the following ingredients 3/4 pound chicken, 2 1/2 cups tomatoe sauce, 1 teaspoon oregano and 1/2 teaspoon of his special hot sauce. What is the number chef Alonzo should multiply the amount of chicken by so that the recipe will make 2 full servings, each with 1/2 pound of chicken ? Find the amount of all the ingredients in the recipe

Answer 1

Step 1. Identify the information provided

 

a. Recipe ingredients:

• 3/4 (or 0.75) pound chicken
• 2 1/2 (or 2.5) cups tomato sauce
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1/2 (or 0.5) tsp hot sauce

 

b. Servings needed: 2

 

c. Amount of chicken/serving: 1/2 (or 0.5) pounds

 

Step 2. Identify the question(s) being asked.
In this case, the questions outline the steps you would take, which is useful.

 

a. How much chicken is in 2 servings?

 

b. What number should you multiply the amount of chicken in the recipe by to get the amount of chicken needed for 2 servings?

 

c. How much of each ingredient do you get when you multiply the recipe by the number found in Step 2b?

 

Step 3. Rewrite Steps 1 and 2 mathematically

 

a. Assign variables/labels to each component
Tip: try to avoid using letters that can be confused for numbers, such as l (lowercase L or capital i), O, or S

 

Labels

• (Pounds of) chicken → c
• (Cups of) tomato sauce → t
• (Teaspoons of) oregano → o
• (Teaspoons of) hot sauce → h

 

Variables

• (Pounds of) chicken in 2 servings → a
• Number to multiply the ingredients by → n

 

b. Use these variables to write the questions as math problems
(From Step 2a): 1/2 c (pounds of chicken per serving) × 2 (servings) = a

Tip: If it helps, you can use fractions

(1/2 c / 1 serving) × 2 servings = 1/2 c × 2 = 1 c

(From Step 2b): c × n = a

 

3/4 c × n = 1 c
÷ 3/4 c       ÷ 3/4 c

 

n = 1 c ÷ 3/4 c

   = 1 × 4/3

   = 4/3 (= 1.33)

(From Step 2c): ingredient × n = amount needed for two servings
I’m using decimals instead of fractions to save time

 

Ingredient amount in recipe × n = amount of ingredient needed

 

E.g. for tomato sauce:
2.5 t × n = 2.5 t × 1.33
= 3.33 t (3.33 cups of tomato sauce)