Suppose that 16 centimeters of wire costs 48 cents. At the same rate, how much (in cents) will 11 centimeters of wire cost?

If 16 centimeters of wire costs 48 cents, then we can simplify the ratio to 1 centimeter of wire costs 3 cents. Then, we multiply 1 by 11, and 3 by 11, to get 11 centimeters of wire costs 33 cents.