Unit Rates & Fractional Unit Rates

A unit rate is a comparison of two different quantities where one of the quantities is expressed as a quantity of one. For example, if a car travels 300 miles in 5 hours, the unit rate is 60 miles per hour.

To calculate a unit rate, divide the quantity of one item by the quantity of another item. For example, if you have 40 jumping jacks in 1 minute, the unit rate is 40 jumping jacks per minute.

The unit rate is 1.6 pages per minute, calculated as $$\frac{24}{15}$$ .

The printer can print 96 pages in 1 hour, calculated as $$24 \text{ pages} \times 4 = 96 \text{ pages}$$ .

The unit rate is 39 sit-ups per minute, calculated as $$\frac{78}{2}$$ .

To find the unit cost, divide the total cost by the total quantity. For example, if 5.5 pounds of almonds cost $20.90, the unit cost is $$\frac{20.90}{5.5} \text{ dollars per pound}$$ .

The unit rate is $25 per hour, calculated as $$\frac{200}{8}$$ .

The cost per ounce is approximately $0.26 per ounce, calculated as $$\frac{20.90}{5.5 \times 16}$$ .

The formula for calculating unit rates is: Unit Rate = $$\frac{\text{Quantity of Item 1}}{\text{Quantity of Item 2}}$$ .

It means the quantity is being measured for every minute. For example, 40 jumping jacks per minute means 40 jumping jacks are completed in one minute.