A recipe makes 60 servings. If you need 24 servings, what is the conversion factor?

A recipe makes 60 servings. If you need 24 servings, what is the conversion factor?

• A. 0.4
• B. 0.25
• C. 0.55
• D. 0.6

Answer: (A)

When scaling a recipe, the conversion factor is the ratio of the desired number of servings to the original number the recipe makes. Here you want 24 servings from a recipe that yields 60, so the factor is 24 ÷ 60 = 0.4 (which is the same as 2/5). Multiply every ingredient by 0.4 to get amounts for 24 servings. For perspective, using 0.25 would yield 60 × 0.25 = 15 servings; 0.55 would yield 60 × 0.55 = 33 servings; 0.6 would yield 60 × 0.6 = 36 servings. Only 0.4 gives you exactly 24 servings.

When scaling a recipe, the conversion factor is the ratio of the desired number of servings to the original number the recipe makes. Here you want 24 servings from a recipe that yields 60, so the factor is 24 ÷ 60 = 0.4 (which is the same as 2/5). Multiply every ingredient by 0.4 to get amounts for 24 servings.

For perspective, using 0.25 would yield 60 × 0.25 = 15 servings; 0.55 would yield 60 × 0.55 = 33 servings; 0.6 would yield 60 × 0.6 = 36 servings. Only 0.4 gives you exactly 24 servings.