Mixture X uses 3 cups of milk for 4 tablespoons of chocolate powder.



Find the unit rate. How many tablespoons of chocolate powder are there for 1 cup of milk?



Mixture X





\begin{tabular}[t]{l}
Milk

(Cups)
&


Chocolate Powder

(Tablespoons)
\\

\hline 3 & 4 \\

\hline 1 & … \\

\hline

\end{tabular}

Verified Answer :

  • The relationship is defined as 3 cups of milk for 4 tablespoons of chocolate powder.
  • We set up a proportion to find the unit rate: \(\frac{4 \text{ tablespoons}}{3 \text{ cups}} = \frac{x \text{ tablespoons}}{1 \text{ cup}}\).
  • Solving for \(x\) gives the unit rate of \(\frac{4}{3}\) tablespoons of chocolate powder per cup of milk.
  • Final Answer: \(\boxed{\frac{4}{3}}\).

Explanation

  1. Analyzing the Problem

We are given that Mixture X uses 3 cups of milk for 4 tablespoons of chocolate powder. We want to find the unit rate, which represents the number of tablespoons of chocolate powder required for 1 cup of milk. The data provided is:

  • Milk: 3 cups
  • Chocolate powder: 4 tablespoons

We need to find the value corresponding to 1 cup of milk in the provided table.

  1. Calculating the Unit Rate

To find the unit rate of tablespoons per cup, we set up the ratio of chocolate powder to milk. We have 4 tablespoons of chocolate powder for 3 cups of milk. Let \(x\) be the amount of chocolate powder for 1 cup of milk. We can express this relationship as a proportion:
\[\frac{\text{Chocolate Powder}}{\text{Milk}} = \frac{4 \text{ tablespoons}}{3 \text{ cups}} = \frac{x \text{ tablespoons}}{1 \text{ cup}}\]
To solve for \(x\), we divide the number of tablespoons by the number of cups:
\[x = \frac{4}{3}\]
Thus, for 1 cup of milk, there are \(\frac{4}{3}\) tablespoons of chocolate powder.

  1. Conclusion

The unit rate is \(\frac{4}{3}\) tablespoons of chocolate powder per cup of milk. This can be expressed as a fraction or as a mixed number: \(\frac{4}{3} = 1\frac{1}{3}\). Therefore, there are \(\frac{4}{3}\) tablespoons of chocolate powder for 1 cup of milk. The final answer is \(\boxed{\frac{4}{3}}\).

Examples

Unit rates are extremely useful in everyday life, especially in cooking and grocery shopping. For example, if you know that a recipe requires 3 cups of milk for 4 tablespoons of chocolate powder, understanding the unit rate of \(\frac{4}{3}\) tablespoons per cup allows you to easily scale the recipe. Whether you only have 1 cup of milk or need to make a massive batch with 10 cups, knowing the amount per single unit makes adjusting your ingredients simple and efficient. This concept is the foundation of proportional reasoning in real-world applications.