RATIO
A ratio is a way of comparing two or more quantities of the same kind.
Packets of washing powder are available in two sizes: large ( 960 g ) and extra large ( 1200 g )
large mass 960 g 4
= =
extra large mass 1200 g 5
We can say that the ratio of the large mass to the extra large mass is 4 to 5
We can write this ratio as 4 : 5
This means that the large mass is of the extra large mass i.e. x 1200 = 960 g
We can also say that the ratio of the extra large mass to the large mass is 5 to 4
We can write this ratio as 5 : 4
This means that the extra large mass is of the large mass i.e. x 960 = 1200 g
Reducing ratios to their lowest terms
The petrol consumption of a car A is 18 km per litre and for car B is 24 km per litre.
The petrol consumption ratio of car A to car B is 18 : 24
Dividing by the HCF of of 18 and 24 (which is 6) we see that 18 : 24 = 3 : 4
Whenever possible ratios should be written in their lowest terms. To reduce a ratio to its lowest
terms, divide each number by the HCF of the numbers.
When simplifying ratios with units attached, make sure quantities are expressed in the same
units.
Example
What is the ratio of 20 seconds to 2 minutes,
Changing minutes to seconds 2 minutes = 2 x 60 = 120 seconds
Therefore 20 seconds to 2 minutes = 20 : 120 = 1: 6
Exercise 1
Express each ratio in its lowest terms:
(1) 21 : 18 (2) 300 : 400 (3) 54 : 90 (4) 15 : 120
(5) 40 p : £ 1 (6) 3500 m : 4 km (7) 4 days : 2 weeks (8) 500 g : 2 kg
Dividing quantities in a given ratio.
Examples
(1) Divide £180 among Alan, Betty and Clare in the ratio 2 : 3 : 7.
We first divide the money into 12 parts ( 2 + 3 + 7)
Each part is
£180 ÷ 12 = £15
Alan gets = 2 x 15 = £30
Betty gets = 3 x 15 = £45
Clare gets = 7 x 15 = £105
(2) A piece of rope is divided in the ratio 7 : 9. The length of the longer piece is 315 cm.
What is the length of the longer piece?
As the ratio is 7 : 9, the shorter piece is of the longer piece.
shorter piece = x 315 = 245 cm
Exercise 2
Divide the given number or quantity in the given ratio
(1) 60, 3:2 (2) £30, 7 : 3 (3) £7. 20, [Link]
(4) Bronze is formed by mixing copper, tin and zinc in the ratio 95 : 4 : 1 by mass.
Find the mass of each metal in 4 kg of bronze.
(5) John and Mary invested £600 and £200 to start a family business. How should they share
the profits of £900?
(6) Three sides of a triangle are in the ratio 3 : 4 : 5. If the lengths of the sides add up to 108
cm, what is the length of each side.
(7) A sum of money is divided in the ratio 3 : 4 : 5 . The smallest part is £60. What was the
original sum of money?
(8) Two sums of money are in the ratio 4 : 3. The smaller amount is £90. What is the larger
amount?
(9) A sum of money was to be divided among A, B, and C in the ratio 2 : 3 : 5. The largest
share amounts to £1200.
Calculate
(i) The total sum of money to be shared
(ii) A’s share
(10) Share £150 among John, Mary , and Sarah so that each of the two girls receives twice as
much as John.
Calculate the amount of money John received.
Direct Proportion
Two quantities are said to be in direct proportion if they increase or decrease by the same ratio.
That is, if one quantity is doubled, then the other quantity is doubled also.
Example
A woman is paid £600 for 5 days. How much will she earn in 8 days if she is paid at the same
rate?
5 days = 600
1 day = 600 ÷ 5 = £120
8 days = 120 x 8 = £960
Exercise 3
(1) A worker is paid £500 per week if he works 40 hours. How much should he receive if he
works only 32 hours?
(2) Oranges are sold at £2.00 for 10. How many oranges can I buy for £12.00?
(3) A woman receives £150 for every 3 days that she works. How much should she receive
after working 15 days?
(4) Gene can travel 25 km in 1½ hours on his bicycle. How long will it take him to travel 15
km?
(5) Flying fish are sold at 5 for £2.00.
(i) How many flying fish will I get for £14.00?
(ii) How much would I have to pay for 30 flying fish?
(6) Soap costs £2.40 for 3 bars. Find the cost of 12 bars of the same soap?
(7) A bus travels 240 kilometres on 16 litres of petrol. How many litres will it take to
complete a journey of 360 kilometres?
(8) It cost £7 to turf a lawn of area 56 m2. How much will it cost to turf a lawn of 144m2?
Inverse Proportion
Two quantities are said to vary inversely when one quantity increases this causes a
corresponding decrease in another.
Example
A farm has sufficient grain to feed 60 hens for 8 days. How long will the grain last 40 hens?
60 hens = 8 days
1 hen = 8 x 60 = 480 days
40 hens = 480 ÷ 40 = 12 days
Exercise 4
(1) How long will it take ten men to do a job if six men take 15 days to the same job?
(2) Five cleaners took eight hours to clean a building. How long would the cleaning have
taken if there were eight cleaners?
(3) A car travelling at 50 km/h covers a distance in 45 minutes. Find the time taken the same
distance at 30 km/h?
(4) 2 machines can finish a job in 140 minutes. How many minutes will it take 7 similar
machines to do the job?
3
(5) On Monday morning Trudy walked at a constant rate of 2 km/h for of an hour before
4
she got to school. On Tuesday morning she walked at a constant rate of 3 km/h. How
many minutes did it take her to get to school?
(6) A tank of water will last a family for 20 weeks if they use 15 litres a day. How long will
it last if they use 25 litres a day?
MAPS and PLANS
Maps of countries and plans of buildings and cars and aircraft are based on direct proportion.
The ratios of distances on the maps and corresponding distances on the ground are equal.
distance on the map
The scale of a map is sometimes given by the actual ratio:
corresponding distance on the ground
This ratio is called the Representative Fraction (R.F.) of the map.
Here is one example of a Representative Fraction.
1cm 1cm 1cm 1
1km 1000m 1000x100 100000
This is usually written in the form 1 : 100000
Example (1)
On a map with scale 1 : 10000, calculate:
(a) the distance on the map representing 1 km on the ground.
(b) the distance on the ground represented by 12.5 cm on the map.
1 1 1
(a) Distance on map = x distance on ground = x 1 km = x 100000
10000 10000 10000
= 10 cm
(b) Distance on ground = 10000 x distance on map = 10000 x 12.5 = 125000 cm = 1.25 km
Exercise 5
(1) A plan has a scale of 1 : 100. What distance on the plan represents:
(a) 154 cm (b) 6320 cm (c) 26 cm
(2) On a map with a scale of 1 : 1000 what actual distance is represented on the map by:
(a) 12 cm (b) 1.34 cm (c) 0.285
(3) The scale on a map is 1: 200000
(a) If two towns are 94 km apart, what is the distance between them on the map?
(b) If the distance between another two towns on the map is 27.4 cm, how far apart are
they?
(4) The scale of a building site plan is 1 : 500.
(a) If a rectangular plot on the plan measures 6.8 cm by 3.7 cm, what are the actual
measurements? What is the real area of the plot?
(b) What area in m2 does 1 cm2 represent? Hence find the real area of a building which
occupies 32 cm2 on the plan.
(5) A scale of 1:15000 is used to draw the map of a city
(a) Calculate the actual distance, in km, between two points in the city which lies 87
cm apart on the map.
(b) The actual length of the playground in the city is 225 m. Calculate, in cm, the
length on the map.
Answers
Exercise 1
(1) 7:6 (2) 3: 4 (3) 3:5 (4) 1:8
(5) 2:5 (6) 7:8 (7) 2:7 (8) 1:4
Exercise 2
Divide the given number or quantity in the given ratio
(1) 36 , 24 (2) £21 , £9 (3) £1.60, £2.40, £3.20
(4) Copper = 3.8 kg Tin = 0.16 kg Zinc = 0.04 kg
(5) John = £675 Mary = £225
(6) 27cm, 36 cm, 45 cm.
(7) £240
(8) £120
(9) (i) £2400 (ii) £480
(10) £30
Exercise 3
(1) £400
(2) 60
(3) £750
9
(4) hour or 54 minutes
10
(5) (i) 35 (ii) £12
6) £9.60
(7) 24
(8) £18
Exercise 4
(1) 9 days
(2) 5 hours
(3) 75 minutes
(4) 40
(5) 30
(6) 12 weeks
Exercise 5
(1) (a) 1.54 cm (b) 63.2 cm (c) 0.26 cm
(2) (a) 120 m (b) 13.4 m (c) 2.85 m
(3) (a) 47 cm (b) 54.8 km
(4) (a) 34 m by 18.5 cm, 629 m2 (b) 25m2, 8000 m2
(5) (a) 13.05 km (b) 1.5 cm
