Question

A company orders boxed lunches from a deli. Assume each boxedlunch is the same price. The proportional relationship between thenumber of boxed lunches ordered, b, and the total cost in dollars andcents, c, can be represented by the equation c = 9.86. What is theconstant of proportionality from the number of boxed lunches to thetotal cost, in dollars and cents?

Answer 1

Let the number of boxed lunches ordered be b

Let the total cost in dollars and cents be c

The given proportionality between them is c=9.8b.

The constant of proportionality from the number of boxed lunches to the total cost in dollars and cents is the same as the ratio of the number of boxed lunches to the total cost in dollars and cents is the same as the ratio

Simply put b : c;

`b\colon c\equiv(b)/(c)`
`\begin{gathered} \text{ since }c=9.8b \\ \Rightarrow(c)/(9.8)=b\Rightarrow(b)/(c)=(1)/(9.8) \end{gathered}`

So the constant of proportionality is 1/9.8