Fractions as Ratios and Proportions - Faculty Site Listing分数的比率和比例-教师站点列表.pptVIP

current 8/29/08 * current 8/29/08 * current 8/29/08 * current 8/29/08 * current 8/29/08 * current 8/29/08 * current 8/29/08 * Fractions as Ratios and Proportions A ratio is just a comparison between two different things. For instance, someone can look at a group of people, count noses, and refer to the ratio of men to women in the group. Ratio Comparison of two numbers Expresses the relative size of two quantities as the quotient of one divided by the other Written in 3 ways: a:b or a/b or a to b Example Suppose there are 240 people in a class, 78 are women and 162 are men. Numerically 78 : 162 78 to 162 78/162 Could reduce to 13/27 or decimal of 0.481481 Would be the opposite putting the value for men first. The order in which the ratio is written is important because it defines the comparison Ratios should be left in their original form to represent the size of the sample compared In our example Ratio of women to men is 78 to 162 Notice that, in the expression the ratio of women to men, “women came first. This order is very important, and must be respected:? whichever word came first, its number must come first. If the expression had been the ratio of men to women, then the ratio would have been “162 to 78 Reducing Ratios Lets return to the 162 men and 78 women in our original group. 162 e had expressed the ratio as a fraction, namely, 15/20. This fraction reduces to 3/4. This means that you can also express the ratio of men to women as 3/4, 3 : 4, or 3 to 4. However… This points out something important about ratios: the numbers used in the ratio might not be the absolute references. The ratio “78 women to 162 men refers to the absolute numbers of women and men, respectively. But “13 to 27 just tells you that, for every 13 women, there are 27 men. This also tells you that, in any representative set of 40 people (13 + 27 = 40) from this group, 13 will be women and 27 men. Using Ratios to Solve Word Problems