A whale swims 200 miles in 5 days. Identify which equation could be used to find how many miles it swims in 16 days.

1 answer

To find how many miles the whale swims in 16 days, we can set up a proportion based on the information given.

Let's represent the distance the whale swims in 16 days as "x" miles.

The proportion can be set up as follows:

200 miles / 5 days = x miles / 16 days

Using cross-multiplication:

5 * x = 200 * 16

Simplifying the equation:

5x = 3200

Dividing both sides by 5:

x = 3200 / 5

Therefore, the equation that could be used to find how many miles the whale swims in 16 days is:

x = 3200 / 5

x = 640

Hence, the whale swims 640 miles in 16 days.