For every 20 patients that spend the night, Stoney Brook Hospital must have 5 nurses working the night shift. How many nurses must Stoney Brook Hospital have working the night shift if 48 patients are spending the night?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This is a ratio/proportion problem. We have 20 patients require 5 nurses. So, how many nurses will 48 patients require? We can write that as a proportion:
20: 5 :: 48: x
Step 1: Rewrite the proportion as a fraction.
 11ec0fda_98dc_ff86_a67f_e3385b9e1da1_NR0004_00 Step 2: Cross multiply.
 11ec0fda_98dc_ff87_a67f_d7eea0a81be3_NR0004_00 Step 3: Simplify the right side of the equation. 48 x 5 = 240
 11ec0fda_98dc_ff88_a67f_27d95c840287_NR0004_00 Step 4: Simplify by dividing both sides of the equation by 20.
 11ec0fda_98dc_ff89_a67f_f1b20ae7d0c8_NR0004_00

For Every 20 Patients That Spend the Night, Stoney Brook