Question

a certain medicine is given in an amount proportional to a patients body weight. suppose a patient weighing 195 pounds requires 279 milligrams of medicine. what is the amount of medicine required by a patient weighing 130 pounds?

Explanation:

Step1: Set up proportion

Let $x$ be the amount of medicine for a 130 - pound patient. Since the amount of medicine is proportional to the patient's weight, we have the proportion $\frac{279}{195}=\frac{x}{130}$.

Step2: Cross - multiply

$195x = 279\times130$.

Step3: Calculate the right - hand side

$279\times130 = 36270$. So, $195x=36270$.

Step4: Solve for $x$

$x=\frac{36270}{195}=186$.

Answer:

186