PHARMACEUTICAL

CALCULATIONS
(WEEK 1)

Syl Eanna N. Suzara, R.Ph., MS Pharm (units)

 OBJECTIVES:
1. Practice Pharmacy in professional and ethical manner.
2. Provide Pharmaceutical care.
3. Demonstrate the appreciation of pharmacy as health profession and
its scope of practice.
4. Demonstrate the understanding of chemical, physical and biological
process relevant to pharmaceutical sciences.
5. Demonstrate the appreciation of mathematics and its relevance to
science.
REQUIREMENTS:

• Scientific Calculator
• Filler notebook
Pharmaceutical Calculations: Fraction

COMMON FRACTION
NUMERATOR
DENOMINATOR
PROPER FRACTION
IMPROPER FRACTION
LOWEST TERM
MIXED FRACTION
Pharmaceutical Calculations: Decimal

1. Decimal moving to the RIGHT multiplies a number by 10.

2. Decimal moving to the LEFT divides a number by 10.
Pharmaceutical Calculations: Percentage
Example:
0.125 = 125
1000
or 1
8

Common fraction to Decimal

3
8
= 3 ÷8 = 0.375
PHARMACEUTICAL
CALCULATIONS:
SIGNIFICANT FIGURES

Syl Eanna N. Suzara, R.Ph., MS Pharm (units)

Rules of significant
figures
1. All non-zero numbers ARE significant.
2. Zeros between two non-zero digits ARE
significant.
3. Leading zeros are NOT significant.
4. Trailing zeros to the right of the decimal ARE
significant.
There are FOUR significant figures in 92.00.
5. Trailing zeros in a whole number with the
decimal shown ARE significant.
Example, "540." indicates that the trailing zero IS
significant; there are THREE significant figures in this value.
6. Trailing zeros in a whole number with no
decimal shown are NOT significant.
Examples:
a) 34, 567 – 5sf
b) 0.055 – 2 sf
c) 6.00 – 1sf
d) 300, 001 – 6sf
e) 0.00006 – 1sf
PRACTICE PROBLEM:
1 & 2 PAGE 20
PHARMACEUTICAL
CALCULATIONS
(RATIO & PROPORTION)

Syl Eanna N. Suzara, R.Ph., MS Pharm (units)

WHAT IS RATIO?
RATIO PROPORTION
Example: Example:
•a:b=c:d
•a:b
a is to b • a : b :: c : d
𝑎 𝑐
• =
𝑏 𝑑
a is to b as c is to d
 Practice Problem: no. 2 page 15

• If 250 pounds of a chemical cost, 480 dollars,

what will the cost of 135 pounds?
Practice Problem: no. 7 page 15

A cough syrup contains 2 milligrams of brompheniramine maleate in each 5milliliter

dose. How many milligrams of brompheniramine maleate would be contained in a 120
milliliter container syrup?
SUMMARY
 SEATWORK:
PRACTICE PROBLEMS
page 15