Question

What is the constant of proportionality in this equation, what does it mean in this context.
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 cup lemon juice
4 cups cold water

Answers

GPT-4o mini
In this context, you have a mixture of ingredients measured in cups. Each ingredient is proportional to the others based on their quantities used in the recipe. To find the constant of proportionality, you need to examine the ratios between the volumes of the ingredients.

In your mixture:
- 1 cup of sugar
- 1 cup of water
- 1 cup of lemon juice
- 4 cups of cold water

The first three ingredients (sugar, water, lemon juice) each have a ratio of 1:1:1, meaning they are all present in equal amounts. However, the last ingredient (cold water) is in a different proportion, 4 cups, making the total amount of mixed liquid significantly larger.

To find a constant of proportionality, you can look at the proportions of each ingredient compared to the total volume of the mixture:

Total volume = 1 cup (sugar) + 1 cup (water) + 1 cup (lemon juice) + 4 cups (cold water) = 7 cups

1. For sugar, the proportion is 1/7
2. For water (the first cup of water), the proportion is also 1/7
3. For lemon juice, the proportion is again 1/7
4. For cold water, the proportion is 4/7

The "constant of proportionality" in this scenario could be described as the factor that relates the ingredient amounts to the entire mixture’s total volume. Specifically, it indicates how much of each ingredient contributes to the total quantity:

- Sugar: \(\frac{1}{7}\)
- Water: \(\frac{1}{7}\)
- Lemon juice: \(\frac{1}{7}\)
- Cold water: \(\frac{4}{7}\)

In this recipe context, it means that for every 7 parts of the total liquid mixture, 1 part is sugar, 1 part is the first cup of water, 1 part is lemon juice, and 4 parts are cold water. This proportional relationship helps understand how to scale the recipe up or down while maintaining the same taste and consistency.