Ratio &

Proportion

Ratio & Proportion

KS3-3 (p. 109-112)
• the relationship between ratio &
proportion
• divide & express quantities in their
simplest form
• solve real-life problems involving
ratios and proportions
 What is a Ratio?
A ratio is a comparison of two (or more) numbers.
Ratios can be written in two different ways:

a to b Ratios are
expressed in
simplest form
This is NOT a a:b
divide!

Simplifying Ratios

Crazy cat lady has 14 cats and 4 dogs.

Can you simplify the ratio? How?

14 : 4 = 7:2
Divide both values by their
Highest Common Factor 2
Simplifying Ratios
A person’s arm is 80cm long and he is 2m tall.
Find the ratio of the length of his arm to his total height.

To compare them, we need to convert both numbers into the same unit …

1m = 100cm
80cm : 200cm 2:5
So
Divide both values by their
Highest Common Factor 40
2m = 200cm

A 35 ml orange drink is made by mixing orange

juice and water in the ratio 4 : 3.

5 5 5 5 5 5 5
A recipe for pasta uses flour, water and egg in the ratio 6 : 3 : 1.

What weight of each is needed to make a mixture with a total

weight of 300 g?

30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30

What is a Proportion?
a c
 A proportion is an equation
b d that equates two ratios

The ratio of boys and girls was 3:2

The ratio was doubled and is now 6:4

3 6
Are these ratios in proportion? 
2 4
Properties of Proportion: Cross Product Property

3 6

2 4

2 x 6 = 12 3 x 4 = 12

Properties of Proportion: Reciprocal Property

If Then
3 6 2 4
 
2 4 3 6

Why does this work?

Proportion
Solve for x (to 1 dp):

7x  6 2
6 7
 7 x  12
x 2 x  12 / 7
x  1 .7

Proportion
7 colouring pencils cost $2. Solve for x:
7 6  2x
How many pencils can Sarah 42  2 x
buy if she has $6?
x  21
7 x Sarah can buy 21
 pencils
2 6
Calculate the missing prices of the paint cans below.

The prices are directly proportional to the amount of paint

in the can.
£9 £11.25 £37.50 £68.10

Pancake Mix You want to make 10 pancakes.

For 4 pancakes you will

1. How much flour will you
need: need?
6 tbsp of flour 15 tbsp of flour
¼ litre milk
1 pinch salt 2. How much milk will you
1 egg need (ml) ?

625 ml of milk
A photo is enlarged to make a poster.

The photo is 10cm wide and 16cm high.

The poster is 25cm wide.

1. How high is the poster?

40 cm
2. In the poster, the building is 30cm tall.

How tall is it in the photo?

12 cm