Finding Unit Rates in Word Problems

A unit rate is a comparison of two different quantities where one of the quantities is 1. For example, if 6 apples cost $3, the unit rate is $0.50 per apple.

To find the unit rate from a total cost, divide the total cost by the number of items. For example, if 6 movie tickets cost $30, divide $30 by 6 to find the cost per ticket.

You use division to find a unit rate.

To find the unit rate, divide 180 pages by 6 minutes. The answer is 30 pages per minute.

To find the cost per book, divide 22 dollars by 6 books. The answer is approximately 3.67 dollars per book.

The formula to calculate unit rate is: Unit Rate = Total Quantity / Number of Units.

Divide $4 by 12 cookies to find the cost per cookie, which is approximately $0.33.

Dividing the top number (numerator) by the bottom number (denominator) gives you the value of the fraction, which can represent a unit rate.

To find the speed, divide 300 miles by 5 hours. The speed is 60 miles per hour.

Divide 50 dollars by 10 hours to find the unit rate, which is 5 dollars per hour.