Question

a certain medicine is given in an amount proportional to a patients 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?

Explanation:

Step1: Set up proportion

Let $x$ be the amount of medicine for a 156 - pound patient. Since the amount of medicine is proportional to the patient's weight, we have the proportion $\frac{143}{132}=\frac{x}{156}$.

Step2: Cross - multiply

$132x = 143\times156$.

Step3: Calculate the right - hand side

$143\times156=22308$. So, $132x = 22308$.

Step4: Solve for $x$

$x=\frac{22308}{132}=169$.

Answer:

169 milligrams