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2.1 Unit Prices

2.1 Unit Prices
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  • Math Help

    A unit price is sometimes called a unit cost. In either case, remember that it is customary to write the dollar amount in the numerator.

    In Example 3, be sure to notice two things.

    1. To compare unit prices, you should write each unit price using the same units.
    2. To convert dollars per gallon to dollars per fluid ounce, multiply by a conversion factor.

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  • Checkpoint Solution

    Each of the detergents in Example 3 recommends 2 fluid ounces for a load of wash. The cost per load is as follows.

    For the homemade laundry soap, use 1 gallon = 16 cups to figure out the amount of soap produced in one batch.

    Assuming there is no cost for water, the cost of the recipe is

    Each load of laundry needs one half cup of soap.

    So, the cost per load is roughly $0.01.

    The comparison is amazing, isn't it?

  • Comments (2)

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    system user
    Cody (moderator)1 decade ago |
    The next time you're at the grocery store you should check out the price label for some of your favorite foods. Most stores will list the unit price on the price label so that you can compare the price per ounce of different brands.
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    system user
    Ron Larson (author)1 decade ago |
    When I was writing the examples for this lesson on Unit Prices, I was impressed with how much "saving a little" can ultimately result in "saving a lot". It reminded me of the proverb "A penny saved is a penny earned," which means that it is as useful to save money that you already have as it is to earn more. The original form of this proverb used "got" instead of "earned" (around 1633)

    "A penny spar'd is twice got."

    The idea was that, by declining to spend a penny and to save one's money instead, you are a penny up rather than a penny down, hence 'twice got'.
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