Unit Rate Examples

Based on the units rates, which is the better deal?

Shmoritos are , while Shmingles are .

Divide the first numerator and denominator by 12 to get the unit price for the Shmoritos.

Now divide the second numerator and denominator by 7.75 to get the unit price for the Shmingles.

Shmingles are the best bet for your dollar. That's a good thing, 'cuz you can't eat just one!

Shmunkin Donuts offers a baker's dozen (13 doughnuts) for $4.94. What is the unit cost?

The ratio of cost per units is:

Find the unit cost by dividing the numerator and denominator by 13.

So, the cost per doughnut is $0.38 (yum!).

Your local grocery store is having a special on Vitamin Water. They're selling a 12-pack of 20 oz bottles for $11.50. The 32 oz bottles are also on sale for $1.45. Should you buy one 12-pack of 20 oz bottles or eight 32 oz bottles?

This one is a bit tricky because we can't compare the cost per bottle, since the bottles are different sizes. Instead, we need to compare the cost per ounce.

The 12-pack has a total of 12 × 20 = 240 oz, so its unit cost (cost per ounce) is:

If you buy eight 32 oz bottles, that's a total of 8 × 32 = 256 oz at a cost of 8 × $1.45 = $11.60. So the unit cost is:

Might as well purchase eight of the 32 oz bottles and make your money go further.