A certain medicine is given in an amount proportional to a patient's body weight. Suppose a patient weighing 132 pounds requires 143 milligrams of medicine. What is the amount of medicine required by a patient weighing 156 pounds?
Let x be the amount of medicine required by a patient weighing 156 pounds.
We can set up a proportion to solve for x:
132 pounds / 143 milligrams = 156 pounds / x.
Cross multiplying, we get:
132 * x = 143 * 156.
Dividing both sides by 132, we get:
x = (143 * 156) / 132.
x = 168.86.
Therefore, a patient weighing 156 pounds requires approximately 168.86 milligrams of medicine.