Finding a Unit Price

The unit price of an item is the cost per unit of the item. We divide the price of certain number of units of an item by the number of units to find the unit price of that item.

For example, to find the unit price of 12 ounces of soup that costs $2.40, divide $2.40 by 12 ounces, to get unit price of soup as $0.20 per ounce.

Often, we are asked to determine which of two given items is a "better buy". In such cases, the unit price of each item is found and then, their unit prices are compared. The item with the smaller unit price is considered as the "better buy".

If Sheena buys 5 bags of apples for $12.25, what is the unit price of bag of apples?

Solution

Step 1:

Price of 5 bags of apples = $12.25

Step 2:

Unit price of a bag of apples $= \frac{12.25}{5} = $$2.45

If at a toy store, 2 board games cost $15.80, what is the unit price of a board game?

Solution

Step 1:

Price of 2 board games = $15.80

Step 2:

Unit price of a board game $= \frac{15.80}{2} = $$7.90