Real-Life Math
You look at the mare and the pony before you in the small paddock.
They don't look as well as they did when you saw them the last time you
drove by. Now they appear listless. This is a stark contrast to the energetic
horses you saw racing down the field two weeks ago.
Climbing over the
paddock's fence, you call out the mare's name. After making sure
that she isn't nervous, you take out your stethoscope. First you listen
to the mare's lungs and heart. Then you check out some other things before
you move to the pony. What you hear and observe confirms your initial suspicions.
You know what is wrong with them. And you know that they are going to need
some medication to get better.
Opening the trunk of your car, you rummage
around to find the proper medication. While you are looking for it, you quickly
do some math in your head. "OK," you tell yourself, "the average horse is
1,000 pounds. This horse looks about that weight. The pony is probably half
that weight. "
You find the right medication bottle. The maximum daily
dose is 0.0007 oz. per pound. You do another quick calculation. Each horse
will receive 2 doses of medication each day -- 1 in the morning and 1 at night.
The
formula you use to determine the correct dosage is:
Dosage
= (weight of the horse x maximum daily dosage) / number of dosages each day