it is estimated that at the turn of the 20th century, one farmer in the U.S could feed 25 people, whereas today, the ratio is about 1 to 130. How many farmers would it take today to feed 2600 people?

Please help i don't even know how to do this problem!

One way to do this is is by using a proportion. Cross multiply and solve for x.

1/130 = x/2600

130x = 2600

x = 2600 / 130

x = 20

This is just a proportion problem.

2600 people x (1 farmer/130 people) = ? farmers. See how the units cancel. people cancels people; you have converted people to farmers.

Thank you DrBob222 and Ms. Sue!!!!

You're very welcome, Tina.

To solve this problem, we need to calculate the number of farmers required to feed 2600 people at the current ratio.

We know that in the past, one farmer could feed 25 people, while today the ratio is 1 farmer to 130 people. This means that the ratio has changed over time due to advances in technology, farming techniques, and increased productivity.

To calculate the number of farmers needed to feed 2600 people, we can set up a proportion:

1 farmer / 130 people = x farmers / 2600 people

We can cross-multiply to solve for x:

130 * x = 1 * 2600

130x = 2600

To isolate x, we divide both sides of the equation by 130:

x = 2600 / 130

Simplifying the expression:

x = 20

Therefore, it would take 20 farmers today to feed 2600 people based on the current ratio.