# Math Question: Help Me Find an Equation **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 2, 2013, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/math-question-help-me-find-an-equation/667802 "2013-09-02T14:52:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2013, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/math-question-help-me-find-an-equation/667802/1 "2013-09-02T14:52:12Z")
Math is not my strong suit. Please tell me the equation I need to compute to find the value for _x_ in this situation, please. I’m trying to figure out how to use ratios to determine the difference between two points, when measured at two different scales. _a_ is the diameter of a large sphere; say, 5 meters. _b_ is a small fraction of that diameter; say, 1 centimeter. _c_ is the diameter of a small sphere; say, 20 centimeters. _x_ is the distance _b_ would be if it were scaled down to compare to _c_. So, _x_ = ??? Am I making sense here? Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2013, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/math-question-help-me-find-an-equation/667802/2 "2013-09-02T14:57:03Z")
Looks to me like a simple proportion would work: a/b = c/x or x = bc/a ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2013, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/math-question-help-me-find-an-equation/667802/3 "2013-09-02T14:59:12Z")
So multiply b and c, divide the product by a? ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2013, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/math-question-help-me-find-an-equation/667802/4 "2013-09-02T15:00:55Z")
1/500 = x/20. Cross multiply to get 500x = 20. Divide both sides by 500 to get x by itself and you have 20/500 = .04. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2013, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/math-question-help-me-find-an-equation/667802/5 "2013-09-02T15:09:21Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Looks to me like a simple proportion would work: > a/b = c/x That’s how I’d do it. The way I arrange it in my mind is not to think of an equation immediately, but to say 'b is to a, as x is to c, ’ or b:a = x:c. Replace the colons with a slash, which is a division bar, to come up with b/a = x/c. Then plug in the values as **Nars Glinley** did, and Bob’s your uncle. I find that saying ‘this compares to this, in the same way that this compares to this’, even though I know that’s how it works and I’ve done it countless times, helps me to write the equation. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2013, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/math-question-help-me-find-an-equation/667802/6 "2013-09-02T15:17:04Z")
The absolute first step is to make sure that all of your units are the same. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2013, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/math-question-help-me-find-an-equation/667802/7 "2013-09-02T15:37:30Z")
> [@Nars\_Glinley](#): > > The absolute first step is to make sure that all of your units are the same. Word. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2013, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/math-question-help-me-find-an-equation/667802/8 "2013-09-02T16:51:20Z")
It’s not actually necessary to do all of your unit conversions first: You can do them at any time (or even not do them at all), so long as you’re careful about carrying the units through all of the calculations. It is usually easiest to do them first, though there are exceptions. For instance, if you have a map with the scale 2 inch : 1 mile and you want to know how many miles 3 inches represents, you _could_ convert the units and make that a scale of 1:31680, find out how many inches 3 inches represents, and then convert that back to miles… But it’s much easier in that case to leave the units as they are. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2013, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/math-question-help-me-find-an-equation/667802/9 "2013-09-02T17:04:12Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > That’s how I’d do it. > > The way I arrange it in my mind is not to think of an equation immediately, but to say 'b is to a, as x is to c, ’ or b:a = x:c. Replace the colons with a slash, which is a division bar, to come up with b/a = x/c. Then plug in the values as **Nars Glinley** did, and Bob’s your uncle. > > I find that saying ‘this compares to this, in the same way that this compares to this’, even though I know that’s how it works and I’ve done it countless times, helps me to write the equation. Now I know _x_, but have no idea what or why Bob’s my uncle.