Melanie mixes water with plant fertilizer in a proportional relationship that can be represented by the equation w=3p, where w is the number of quarts of water and p is the number of tablespoons of plant fertilizer. To keep this suggested ratio,should Melanie mix 1 quart of water for every 3 tablespoons of fertilizer or 3 quarts of water for every 1 tablespoon of fertilizer? Explain

Question

Melanie mixes water with plant fertilizer in a proportional relationship that can be represented by the equation w=3p, where w is the number of quarts of water and p is the number of tablespoons of plant fertilizer. To keep this suggested ratio,should Melanie mix 1 quart of water for every 3 tablespoons of fertilizer or 3 quarts of water for every 1 tablespoon of fertilizer? Explain

Answer 1

w/p = 3

or
w in quarts = 3 * p in spoons

1 quart = 3* p in spoons for 1 qt
so
for 1 qt, p = 1/3 spoon

for p = 1 spoon
you get 3 quarts of water

Answer 2

To determine the correct ratio for mixing water and plant fertilizer, we need to analyze the equation given: w = 3p. In this equation, "w" represents the number of quarts of water, and "p" represents the number of tablespoons of plant fertilizer.

Notice that the coefficient of "p" in the equation is 3, indicating that the ratio of water to fertilizer is 3:1. This means that for every 3 tablespoons of fertilizer, Melanie should mix 1 quart of water.

Therefore, Melanie should mix 1 quart of water for every 3 tablespoons of fertilizer, not 3 quarts of water for every 1 tablespoon of fertilizer. The suggested ratio of 1 quart of water to every 3 tablespoons of fertilizer maintains the proportional relationship as represented by the equation w = 3p.