They are paticularly useful for comparing large amounts in simple terms or for scaling up calculations. Ratios are used to compare the amount of something compared to the amount of something else. Speed given as distance per hour in a car.Calculating the time taken to reach a destination.Every time I add 3 bears, I add 2 cars.Įxamples of Where Ratios are Written in Real LifeĮxamples of where ratios are written in real life include: This means that for every 3 bears there are, there are 2 cars. We can also say that the ratio of bears to cars is 3:2. Since both 6 and 4 are both even, we can simplify the ratio by halving both numbers. We say that the ratio of bears to cars is 6:4. Here is another example of writing a ratio. Instead of the ratio of cats to dogs we were asked for the ratio of dogs to cats, we would have to reverse the ratio to say 5:3. In this example, we say that the ratio of cats to dogs is 3:5. We cannot put the numbers in a ratio in any order. The second number tells us how much of the second item described there is. The first number tells us how much of the first item described there is. For example, the ratio 3:5 is read as ‘three to five’. The colon in a ratio is simply read as ‘to’. It is important to separate each number in the ratio with a new colon. In between the 3 and the 5 we put a colon.Ĭolons are used to show that the numbers are written as part of a ratio. We have 5 dogs, so we write a 5 next to the 3. This is because ratios simply tell us how much of each thing there is compared to another. It is easier to compare amounts by writing them as a ratio than as fractions. We can say that 5 / 8 of the pets are dogs. We can say that 3 / 8 of the pets are cats. Ratios are commonly used to help describe the number of items in a collection.įor example here is a collection of pets. Ratios describe how much of an item there is for a given amount of the other. In simple terms, a ratio is the amount of one item compared to the amount of another.
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