Ounce is a unit of weight of one sixteenth of a pound.


So the problems asks

        If x spoons full of spice are needed for y ounces, 
        then how many spoons full of spice are needed for 16 ounces?


Write a proportion

      = ,


where "z" is the unknown answer, and find the value of z from this proportion

    z = .    


ANSWER.   If x spoons full of spice are needed for y ounces, 

          then    spoons of spice are needed for one pound.


          Notice that if  the number    is an integer number, then we can talk about the spoons full of spice.

          If the number    is not an integer number, then the question has no that answer which is expected.