MATH 1102 Mathematics For Health 31 May, 2023

MZUZU UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF MATHEMATICS AND STATISTICS

MATH 1102 - Mathematics For Health

TEST 1

Wednesday, May 31, 2023 02:00-3:30 PM (1 12 hours)

INSTRUCTIONS
ˆ Write your registration number, program and level in the spaces provided below.

ˆ Check that the paper has 10 questions.

ˆ Attempt all questions.

ˆ Show all your working.

Registration Number:

Program:

Level:

Do not write in this table.

Question: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Total
Points: 4 5 4 5 4 5 5 6 7 5 50
Score:
MATH 1102 Mathematics For Health 31 May, 2023

1. Simplify the following expressions:

x3 y 2
(a) x2 y 4 2

x3 y 2 xy −2
Solution: x2 y 4 = 1 = x/y 2

x4 −1
(b) x2 +1 2

x4 −1 (x2 +1)(x2 −1) x2 −1

Solution: x2 +1 = x2 +1 = 1 = x2 − 1

3x+2 1 1
2. Solve for x: x2 −x−6 = x+2 − x−3 5

Solution:

3x + 2 1 1
= −
x2 − x − 6 x+2 x−3
3x + 2 1 1
(x + 2)(x − 3) = (x + 2)(x − 3) − (x + 2)(x − 3)
x2 − x − 6 x+2 x−3
3x + 2 = x − 3 − x − 2
3x = −7
7
x=−
3

3. A hospital is conducting a study to determine the optimal ratio of omega-3 fatty acids to omega-6 fatty acids 4
for cardiovascular health. In a sample of 500 patients, it is found that 80% have an omega-3 to omega-6 ratio
greater than or equal to 2:1. If the total number of patients with an omega-6 fatty acid intake below the
recommended daily allowance is 120, how many patients in the study have an omega-3 fatty acid intake above
the recommended daily allowance?

Solution:
Patients with ratio less than 2 : 1 = 20% of 500 = 100 patients
Patients with ratio greater than or equal to 2 : 1 = 500 − 100 − 120 = 280 patients
Therefore, 280 patients have an omega-3 fatty acid intake above the recommended daily allowance.

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MATH 1102 Mathematics For Health 31 May, 2023

4. A nurse needs to dilute a solution that contains 87 of a gram of a drug per milliliter of water. She has a bottle 5
that can hold 3 12 liters of water. How much of the original solution does she need to add to the bottle to make
a new solution that has a concentration of 14 of a gram per milliliter of water?

Solution: We need to convert the capacity of the bottle to milliliters since the concentration is given in
grams per milliliter.

1
1 liter = 1000 milliliters 3 liters = 3.5 × 1000 milliliters = 3500 milliliters
2

So, the bottle can hold 3500 milliliters of water.

The desired concentration is 1/4 gram per milliliter. Since we know the total amount of water in the bottle
is 3500 milliliters, we can calculate the amount of drug needed.

 
1
Amount of drug = concentration × amount of water = gram/ml × 3500 ml = 875 grams
4

Therefore, the nurse needs to add 875 grams of drug from the original solution to the bottle.
We know that the original solution contains 7/8 gram of drug per milliliter of water. Let’s assume the
nurse needs to add x milliliters of the original solution to achieve the desired concentration.

Amount of drug in the original solution = concentration × amount of water

 
7
gram/mL × x mL = 875 grams
8

Solving for x:

 
875 grams 8
x= 7

= (875 grams) × = 1000 mL
8 gram/mL
7

Therefore, the nurse needs to start with 1000 milliliters of the original solution in the bottle and fill it with
water to make the new solution with a concentration of 1/4 gram per milliliter of water.

5. A child has a fever and needs to take acetaminophen syrup for relief. The label on the bottle says that each 4
teaspoon contains 160 mg of acetaminophen. The dosage chart says that children who weigh between 24 and
35 pounds should take one and a half teaspoons every four hours as needed. The child weighs 15Kg. How many
millilitres of acetaminophen should the child take per dose?

Solution: 1 kg = 2.2 lb
Therefore, the child’s weight in pounds is: 15 × 2.2 = 33 lb
Since the child weighs between 24 and 35 pounds, we can use the dosage chart. Let x be the amount of
acetaminophen in milligrams per dose. We have the following equivalence: 1tsp = 5 mL
Solving for x, we get: x = 5 mL×1.5
1 tsp
tsp
= 7.5 mL
Therefore, the child should take 7.5 mL of acetaminophen per dose.

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MATH 1102 Mathematics For Health 31 May, 2023

6. A patient needs to take an oral suspension of ciprofloxacin for a urinary tract infection. The dosage is 500 mg 5
twice a day for seven days. The ciprofloxacin bottle contains 100 mL of a 250 mg/5 mL suspension. How many
teaspoons of ciprofloxacin should the patient take per dose? How many days will the bottle last?

Solution: Let x be the amount of ciprofloxacin in mL per dose.

We have the following equation:
250
5 × x = 500 (equivalent dosage)
Solving for x, we get:
x = 500×5
250 = 10 mL
1 tsp=5 mL, Therefore, the patient should take 2 tsp of ciprofloxacin per dose.
Let y be the number of days the bottle will last.
100
y = 2×10 =5
Therefore, the bottle will last for 5 days.

7. A pharmacist has to dilute a 50% alcohol solution to make a 30% alcohol solution. 5
How much of the 50% solution and how much water should the pharmacist use to make 300mL of the 30%
solution?

Solution: Let x be the amount of 50% solution and y be the amount of water.
We have two equations:
x + y = 300 (total volume)
0.5x + 0y = 0.3(300) (total alcohol)
Solving for x and y, we get:
x = 180 y = 120
Therefore, the pharmacist should use 180 mL of the 50% solution and 120 mL of water.

8. A doctor orders a patient to receive an intravenous infusion of dextrose 5% in water (D5W) at a rate of 100 6
mL/hour for 24 hours. The infusion set has a drop factor of 20 gtt per mL. How many drops per minute should
the nurse set the infusion pump to? How many liters of D5W will the patient receive in 24 hours?

Infusion rate in mL/hour 1 hour

Drops per minute = ×
Drop factor in gtt/mL 60 minutes
Solution: 100 mL/hour 1 hour
= ×
20 gtt/mL 60 minutes
= 33.33 gtt/minute
Volume of D5W in 24 hours = Infusion rate in mL/hour × Duration in hours
= 100 mL/hour × 24 hours
= 2400mL
= 2.4L

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MATH 1102 Mathematics For Health 31 May, 2023

9. A patient with hypertension needs to receive an intravenous infusion of nitroglycerin to lower their blood pres- 7
sure. The order is for 5 mcg per minute of nitroglycerin, titrated by 5 mcg per minute every 5 minutes increase
the order by 2 until the blood pressure is within the desired range.The nitroglycerin vial has a concentration
of 50 mg per 250 mL. How many milliliters per hour should the infusion pump be set to initially? How much
should the infusion rate be increased by every 5 minutes?

5 mcg 1 mg 60 min
Order in mg/h = × ×
Solution: 1 min 1000 mcg 1h
= 0.3 mg/h
Order in mg/h
Infusion rate in mL/h =
Concentration in mg/mL
0.3 mg/h
= 50 mg
250 mL
= 1.5 mL/h
7 mcg 1 mg 60 min
New order in mg/h = × × = 0.42 mg/h
1 min 1000 mcg 1h
New order in mg/h
New infusion rate in mL/h =
Concentration in mg/mL
0.42 mg/h
= 50 mg
250 mL
= 2.1 mL/h
Increase in infusion rate every 5 minutes = 2.1 − 1.5
= 0.6 mL/h

10. An IV line was ordered to titrate between 2 and 4 mcg/kg/min. The patient weighs 60 kg and the IV solution 5
contains 60 mg of drug in 300 mL solution. Determine the rate of fl ow in terms of milliliters per hour.

Solution:
1) Determine the lower limit by using the lower range given in the order together with the patient’s weight.
Because the lower range is 2 mcg and the patient’s weight is 60 kg, then the lower limit for this patient is

2 mcg × 60 kg = 120 mcg/min

2) Convert the results in step 1 into units of milliliters per hour.

Lower limit: 120 mcg/min
To convert to milliliters per hour:

120 mcg/min × 300 mL × 1 mg 60 min

Lower limit = × = 36 mL/hr
60 mg × 1000 mcg 1 hour

3) Use the result in step 2, together with the ratio of the upper titration range to the lower titration range, to find the up
4) Upper limit using the ratio:
The ratio of the upper titration range to the lower titration range is 4:2.
4
Upper limit = 36 mL/hr × 2 = 72 mL/hr

End of Questions.

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MATH 1102 Mathematics For Health 31 May, 2023

Some Useful Conversions:

1. 1 kg = 2.2 lb
2. 16 oz = 1 lb
3. 5 mL = 1 tsp
4. 29.9 mL = 1 fl oz

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