Rates and Ratio

Question

You add 9/4 tablespoons of olive oil for every 1/2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar to make 33 tablespoons of salad dressing, How much olive oil and balsamic vinegar do you use?

Answer 1

We solve ratios by putting parts over a whole. I use 1/2 TB of balsamic to the total amount (9/4 + 1/2 = 9/4 + 2/4 = 11/4 ) and set that equal to an unknown amount of balsamic vinegar to the total 33 TB of salad dressing:

, Cross multiply and simplify

, To divide fractions, multiply by the reciprocal

6 tablespoons of balsamic and 9/4 * 12 = 27 tablespoons of olive oil.