Ratios and Proportions

Outline:
• Ratios!
What is a Ratio?
How to Use Ratios?
How to Simplify?
Proportions!
What is a proportion?
Properties of proportions?
How to use proportions?
• Mysterious Problems…
 What is a Ratio?
• A ratio is a comparison of two numbers.
• Ratios can be written in three different ways:
a to b
a:b
a
Because a ratio is a fraction, b can not be zero
b

Ratios are expressed in simplest form

 How to Use Ratios?
• The ratio of boys and girls in the class is
12 to11. This means, for every 12 boys
you can find 11 girls to match.
How manycoulddogs
• The ratio of length and width of this
• There and
be just 12cats do I
boys,
have?
11 girls. We don’t know, all we
rectangle know is
• There
each dog
if they’d
could be 24start a fight,
boys, 22
has to fight 2 cats.
girls. 4cm
is 4 to 1. • There could be 120 boys, 110
girls…a huge class 1cm
What is the ratio if the
rectangle is 8cm long and
• The ratio of cats and dogs at my home is 2 to 1
2cm wide?
Still 4 to 1, because for every
.4cm, you can find 1cm to
match
 How to simplify ratios?
• The ratios we saw on last The ratio of boys and girls in the
slide were all simplified. class is 12
How was it done? 11

Ratios can be expressed 4

a
The ratio of the rectangle is
a 1
b
in fraction form…

b The ratio of cats and dogs in my

This allows us to do math house is
on them. 2
1
 How to simplify ratios?
• Now I tell you I have 12 cats and 6 dogs. Can you
simplify the ratio of cats and dogs to 2 to 1?

12 12 / 6 2
= =
6 6/6 1
Divide both numerator and
denominator by their
Greatest Common Factor 6.
 More examples…
8 1 12 6
24 = 50 =
3 25
40 27 3
1 =
= 18 2
200 5

27 3
=
9 1
 Now, on to proportions!
What is a proportion?

a c A proportion is an equation
 that equates two ratios
b d
The ratio of dogs and cats was 3/2
The ratio of dogs and cats now is 6/4=3/2

3 6
So we have a proportion : 
2 4
 Properties of a proportion?

3 6

2 4 Cross Product Property

2x6=12 3x4 = 12

3x4 = 2x6
 Properties of a proportion?

• Cross Product Property

a c
 ad = bc
b d
means

extremes
Properties of a proportion?
• Reciprocal Property

3 6
If 
2 4 Can you see it?
If yes, can you think
Then 2 4 of why it works?

3 6
Compare the following ratios.

(a) 1/5 and 1/4

Compare the following ratios.

(b) 6/3 and 8/4

Compare the following ratios.

(c) 5 : 7 and 4 : 3
Write on your math notebook.

Which of the following statements are true?

Write TRUE OR FALSE

____________(a) 25 to 35 = 45 to 55
____________(b) 105 : 30 = 49 : 14
____________(c) 45 : 48 = 60 : 64
____________(d) 2/3 = 7/9
3
____________(e)
 3/4 = 5/6
4