Leland wants to paint a portrait for his parents using a photograph of them that is 5 inches wide by 8 inches high. He wants the portrait to be proportional to the photograph and 42 inches high. Which proportion can Leland use to find w, the width he needs to use to make the portrait proportional?

A. 5/8 = W/42
B. 5/W = 42/8
C. 5/W = 13/8
D. 5/8 = 42/W

Is the answer letter B? If not please show me how to figure out the correct answer.

you want the ratio of L : W to remain at 8 : 5

so 42/W = 8/5
8W = 210
W = 210/8 = 26.25

check:
42/26.25 = 1.6 = 8/5

Of course the ratio could have been expressed in more than one way, but whichever way you choose, the cross-product has to end up as 8W = 210

Looking over your choices , I would pick A

notice your choice yields ...
42W = 40
W = 40/42 = .95... , not even 1 inch, so clearly not correcct

Thank you for explaining.

To figure out the correct proportion, we need to set up a ratio comparing the width and height of the photograph to the width and height of the portrait:

Width of the photograph: 5 inches
Height of the photograph: 8 inches

Width of the portrait: w inches
Height of the portrait: 42 inches

The correct proportion will involve setting up the ratio of the corresponding sides in a way that the fractions are equal.

Let's check each answer choice to find the correct proportion:

A. 5/8 = W/42
This proportion compares the width of the photograph to the height of the photograph with the width of the portrait to the height of the portrait. Therefore, this is not the correct proportion.

B. 5/W = 42/8
This proportion compares the width of the photograph to the width of the portrait with the height of the portrait to the height of the photograph. Since we know that the height of the portrait is 42 inches, this is the correct proportion.

C. 5/W = 13/8
This proportion compares the width of the photograph to the width of the portrait with a different ratio for the height of the portrait to the height of the photograph. Therefore, this is not the correct proportion.

D. 5/8 = 42/W
This proportion compares the width of the photograph to the height of the photograph with the height of the portrait to the width of the portrait. Therefore, this is not the correct proportion.

Correct Answer: B. 5/W = 42/8