Ronald and Madelyn are both entering a cake in the Tri-County Bake-Off. Ronald's recipe calls for 2 cups of sugar and 5 cups of flour. Madelyn is entering a much larger cake, so her recipe calls for 6 cups of sugar and 16 cups of flour. Whose cake is less sweet?

Question

A. Ronald's cake is less sweet.
B. Madelyn's cake is less sweet.
C. Neither. The cakes are equally sweet.

Answer 1

To determine whose cake is less sweet, we can compare the ratio of sugar to flour in each recipe.

For Ronald's cake:

• Sugar: 2 cups
• Flour: 5 cups

The ratio of sugar to flour for Ronald's cake is: \[ \text{Ratio} = \frac{\text{Sugar}}{\text{Flour}} = \frac{2}{5} = 0.4 \]

For Madelyn's cake:

• Sugar: 6 cups
• Flour: 16 cups

The ratio of sugar to flour for Madelyn's cake is: \[ \text{Ratio} = \frac{\text{Sugar}}{\text{Flour}} = \frac{6}{16} = \frac{3}{8} = 0.375 \]

Now we can compare the two ratios:

• Ronald's ratio: 0.4
• Madelyn's ratio: 0.375

Since 0.4 > 0.375, this means Ronald's cake has a higher ratio of sugar to flour and is therefore sweeter than Madelyn's cake.

Thus, the answer is:

B. Madelyn's cake is less sweet.