Carcass wrote:
A doctor prescribed 18 cubic centimeters of a certain drug to a patient whose body weight was 120 pounds. If the typical dosage is 2 cubic centimeters per 15 pounds of the body weight, by what percent was the prescribed dosage greater than the typical dosage?
A) 8%
B) 9%
C) 11%
D) 12.5%
E) 14.8%
We can use
equivalent ratios to determine what the dosage SHOULD have been.
We'll use the ratio of
drug dosage (in cubic centimeters)/
body weight (in pounds)Let
x = the dosage (in cubic centimeters) the patient SHOULD have received
We get:
2/
15 =
x/
120Cross multiply to get: 15x = (2)(120)
Simplify: 15x = 240
Solve:
x = 16So, the patient SHOULD have received a dosage of 16 cubic centimeters
Instead, the patient was prescribed a dosage of 18 cubic centimeters
Percent increase = 100(new - original)/original
= 100(18 - 16)/16
= 200/16
= 12.5
Answer: D