GCSE Maths – Ratio, Proportion and

Rates of Change

Ratio
Notes

WORKSHEET

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Ratio

Writing Ratios as Fractions

A ratio is a way of expressing one thing compared to another by using parts.

For example, suppose red and green counters are in a bag in the ratio 3:2.

We can write each part as a fraction of the total number of parts. So, if our parts are 3 and 2,
the total number of parts is 5. This means 3/5 of the counters are red and 2/5 of the
counters are yellow.

Example: In a school, the ratio of the number of students with blonde hair to the
number of students with brown hair is 5:8.

What fraction of students have brown hair?

We need to find the total number of parts of the ratio by adding 5 and 8 together.

𝟓𝟓 + 𝟖𝟖 = 𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏

Now we need to look at the value of the ratio that represents brown hair, which is 8.

The fraction of students with brown hair is the number of parts of brown hair divided by the
total number of parts:

𝑭𝑭𝑭𝑭𝑭𝑭𝑭𝑭𝑭𝑭𝑭𝑭𝑭𝑭𝑭𝑭 𝒐𝒐𝒐𝒐 𝒔𝒔𝒔𝒔𝒔𝒔𝒔𝒔𝒔𝒔𝒔𝒔𝒔𝒔𝒔𝒔 𝒘𝒘𝒘𝒘𝒘𝒘𝒘𝒘 𝒃𝒃𝒃𝒃𝒃𝒃𝒃𝒃𝒃𝒃 𝒉𝒉𝒉𝒉𝒉𝒉𝒉𝒉 = 𝟖𝟖/𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏

𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴: 𝟖𝟖/𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏

Simplifying Ratios

Ratios can be fully simplified, just like fractions can be.

When we simplify a ratio, we have to identify a common factor. Once we have identified a
common factor of the ratio parts, we divide all parts of the ratio by this common factor.

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 Example: Write the ratio 18 ∶ 36 ∶ 27 in its simplest form

We need to find the highest common factor because this is the number that we want to divide by
to give us the ratio in its simplest form.
If you look at the factors of 18, 36 and 27, you can identify that the highest common factor is 9.

Highest common factor of 18, 36 and 27 is 9.

Now divide each number by 9:

18: 36: 27

÷9 2:4:3 ÷9

We cannot simplify 2:4:3 any further because there are no common factors of 2, 4 and 3.
Therefore, this ratio is in its simplest form.

Scaling Ratios
To scale a ratio, we multiply by a common factor.

Example: Meringue is made by mixing cups of egg whites and cups

of sugar in the ratio 2:5. How many cups of sugar are needed if 6
cups of egg whites are used in the mixture?

We know that 6 = 2 × 3, so we need to multiply the ratio by 3:

2:5
×3 ×3
6 : 15

So, when 6 cups of egg whites are used, 15 cups of sugar are needed
in the mixture.

Dividing Amounts into a Ratio

You need to know how to split a total amount into a ratio.

Example: Laila, John and Emma split £4000 in the ratio 1:3:4. How
much money does John receive?

1. Find the total number of parts in the ratio:

1 + 3 + 4 = 𝟖𝟖 𝒑𝒑𝒑𝒑𝒑𝒑𝒑𝒑𝒑𝒑

2. Divide the total amount, which is £4000, by the total number of

parts, which is 8. This will give you the value of 1 part.
£4000 ÷ 8 = £500 = 𝟏𝟏 𝒑𝒑𝒑𝒑𝒑𝒑𝒑𝒑

3. Multiply the value of 1 part by the number of parts John has:

£𝟓𝟓𝟓𝟓𝟓𝟓 × 𝟑𝟑 = £𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏

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 Ratio - Practice Questions

1. If 100 grams of one ingredient is used in a cake recipe, which calls for a ratio of 3: 7
with a second ingredient, how much of the second ingredient is needed?

2. A recipe for 10 cupcakes needs 300 g flour. How much flour is needed for 15
cupcakes?

3. In a class of 21 students, the ratio of male students to female students is 3 ∶ 4. How

many female students are there?

4. Ben, Luke and Jess save their money in a ratio of 1: 3: 6. If Luke saves £20 a week,
how much do they save in total?

5. There is £500 in a prize fund which is shared between 3 people. Daisy gets £150,
Carol gets £250 and Joe gets £100. What ratio of the money does each person
receive?

6. In a classroom, 125 sweets are shared out in a ratio of 13 ∶ 7 ∶ 5 to groups Red,

Orange and Blue. How many sweets does each group receive?

Worked solutions for the practice questions can be found amongst the worked solutions for the corresponding
worksheet file.

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