The Universal Calculation Engine
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The Universal Calculation Engine

If four costs six dollars what do ten cost

Part of: Proportions

A typical proportions problem: read what is asked before you calculate.

What to do first

List knowns and unknowns. Check whether the problem wants a number, a relationship, or a graph. Proportions is the reference lesson.

Read the question

Wrong answers often come from answering a different question than the one asked—especially “how many” versus “how much is left.”

Total and parts

You know a total and one part; you need the other part. Subtract the known part from the total, or write total = part₁ + part₂ and fill in what you know.

Sense-check

Core lesson

Go deeper: Proportions. Use the calculators below with your own loan or bill numbers, not only the examples on this page.

Use the calculator

FAQ

Where is the main lesson?

Proportions has the full topic, examples, and practice links.

Which calculator first?

After your setup is on paper, open Ratio for a quick numeric pass.