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12 Ratio and
proportion
12.1 Simplifying ratios
A ratio compares one amount to another.
Key words
In this diagram, there are two black squares and three white squares.
proportion
ratio
The ratio of black squares : white squares is 2 : 3 simplest form
The ratio of white squares : black squares is 3 : 2

In this diagram, there are two black squares and six white squares. Tip
For every two
The ratio of black squares : white squares is 2 : 6. black squares
there are three
You can redraw the diagram like this: white squares.

You can see that for every black square there are three white squares, so Tip
the ratio 2 : 6 is the same as the ratio 1 : 3.
For every two
You say that the ratio 2 : 6 in its simplest form is 1 : 3. black squares
there are six
white squares.
Exercise 12.1
Focus
1 Look at this diagram.

a Write the number of black squares.

b Write the number of white squares.

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12 Ratio and proportion

c Write the ratio of black squares : white squares.

d Write the ratio of white squares : black squares.
2 Copy and complete the workings to find the ratio of black
squares : white squares in this diagram.

Tip
You can redraw the diagram like this:

There are two black squares and …… white squares.

The ratio of black squares : white squares is 2 : , which simplifies
to 1 : .
3 Copy and complete the workings to find the ratio of black
squares : white squares in this diagram.

There are two black squares and …… white squares.

The ratio of black squares : white squares is 2 : , which simplifies
to 1 : .

Tip
You can redraw the diagram like this:

4 Copy and complete the workings to find the ratio of black

squares : white squares in this diagram.

There are …… black squares and …… white squares.

The ratio of black squares : white squares is : , which
simplifies to 2 : .

Tip
You can redraw the diagram like this:

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12.1 Simplifying ratios

Practice
5 For each of these necklaces, write down the ratio of white beads to black beads.
Give each ratio in its simplest form.
a b c d

6 For each of the following, choose A, B or C as the correct answer.

a 2 : 8 written in its simplest form is: A 1 : 6 B 1 : 4 C 1 : 2
b 5 : 15 written in its simplest form is: A 1 : 10 B 1 : 5 C 1 : 3
c 24 : 4 written in its simplest form is: A 12 : 2 B 1 : 6 C 6 : 1
d 18 : 9 written in its simplest form is: A 2 : 1 B 9 : 1 C 1 : 2
7 Write each of these ratios in its simplest form.
a 2: 4 b 2 : 20 c 3: 9
d 3 km : 21 km e 4 L : 16 L f 4 m : 20 m
g 24 : 4 h 60 : 10 i 60 : 3
j 21 kg : 7 kg k 40 t : 8 t l 64 cm : 8 cm
8 Write each of these ratios in its simplest form.
a 4 : 18 b 4 : 30 c 16 : 18
d 6 h : 15 h e 8 m : 18 m f 8° C : 30° C
g 15 : 12 h 32 : 12 i 55 : 10
j 16 days : 10 days k 24 mL : 15 mL l 21 mm : 6 mm
9 Look at this number sequence: 50, 45, , 35, 30, , 20, 15
Two of the numbers are missing.
Write the ratio of the first missing number : the second missing number, in its
simplest form.
10 Greg sees this recipe for Irish soda bread. He says, ‘The ratio of white flour to
porridge oats is 2 : 5.’

Irish soda bread

a Explain the mistake that Greg has made.

b Copy and complete this statement correctly for Greg:
The ratio of ……………… to ……………… is ……………….

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12 Ratio and proportion

11 Katrina makes a model of a house. The house is 550 cm tall. Her model is
66 cm tall.
Write the ratio of the height of the house to the height of the model, in its
simplest form.
12 Azul makes a drink by mixing mango juice with water in the Tip
ratio 3 : 4.
The drink with the
Belen makes a drink by mixing mango juice with water in the higher proportion
ratio 2 : 3. of mango juice
Who has the drink with the higher proportion of mango juice? is the drink
Explain how you worked out your answer. that has more
mango juice.
Challenge
13 a At a Harare swimming club, there are 35 girls and 25 boys.
Write the ratio of girls : boys, in its simplest form.
b In a Bulawayo swimming club, there are 22 girls
and 14 boys. Write the ratio of girls : boys, in
its simplest form.
c Which swimming club has the greatest
proportion of girls? Explain how you worked
out your answer.
d Five girls and five boys join the Harare
swimming club. Two girls and seven boys join
the Bulawayo swimming club.
Which swimming club now has the greatest
proportion of girls?
14 Write each of these ratios in its simplest form. The fi rst one has been done
for you.
a 4x : 6x b 12y : 15y
÷ 2x ÷ 2x
2: 3
c 30k : 65k d 14n : 63n
15 You can write a ratio with more than two numbers in its simplest form,
like this.
12 : 8 : 10
÷2 ÷2 ÷2
6: 4: 5
Write each of these ratios in its simplest form.
a 15 : 10 : 20 b 6 : 9 : 12 c 20 : 8 : 32 d 60 : 96 : 48

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12.2 Sharing in a ratio

16 Sarelia makes bread using 800 g of flour. She uses 300 g of rye flour, 150 g of
gram flour and the rest is white flour.
Write down the ratio of rye : gram: white flour, in its simplest form.
17 The bar chart shows the number of red, green and blue T-shirts sold in a shop
in one week. Write the ratio of red T-shirts: green T-shirts: blue T-shirts sold,
in its simplest form.
40
35
Number of T-shirts sold

30
25
20
15
10
5

0 red green blue

T-shirt colour

12.2 Sharing in a ratio Key words

This diagram shows how you can Absko Barasa divide

share an amount in a ratio. share
3 sweets
Absko and Barasa share six sweets
in the ratio 1 : 2. 3 sweets
For every one sweet Absko gets,
Barasa gets two sweets.
So, in total, Absko gets two sweets 2 4 6 sweets
and Barasa gets four sweets.
This is how you can share an amount in a ratio, without drawing a diagram. Tip
Carla and Mitch share $48 in the ratio 1 : 3. To find the value
Carla gets one part of the money and Mitch gets three parts, so the total of one part,
number of parts is 1 + 3 = 4. you divide the
Value of one part is $48 ÷ 4 = $12. amount to be
Carla gets 1 × $12 = $12. shared by the
Mitch gets 3 × $12 = $36. total number of
parts.
Check: $12 + $36 = $48 ✓

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12 Ratio and proportion

Exercise 12.2 Tudza Pepi

4 sweets
Focus
4 sweets
1 Tudza and Pepi share 12 sweets in the ratio 1 : 3.
How many sweets do they each get? 4 sweets
Use the diagram to help you.
2 Sassi and Mimi share 15 sweets in the ratio 12 sweets
2 : 3. How many sweets do they each get?
Sassi Mimi
Use the diagram to help you.
5 sweets
3 Copy and complete the working to share $48
between Nigel and Pamela in the ratio 1 : 2.
5 sweets
Total number of parts is 1 + 2 =
Value of one part is $48 ÷ 3 = 5 sweets

Nigel gets 1 × =
Pamela gets 2 × = 15 sweets
4 Copy and complete the working to share $45 between Ben and Kir
in the ratio 4 : 1.
Total number of parts is 1 + 4 =
Value of one part is $45 ÷ =
Ben gets 4 × =
Kir gets 1 × =
5 Copy and complete the working to share $60 between Danai and
Maita in the ratio 2 : 3.
Total number of parts is 2 + 3 =
Value of one part is $60 ÷ =
Danai gets 2 × =
Maita gets 3 × =

Practice
6 Share these amounts between Migina and Tadi in the ratios given.
a $24 in the ratio 1 : 3 b $45 in the ratio 1 : 4
c $49 in the ratio 1 : 6 d $32 in the ratio 3 : 1
e $36 in the ratio 5 : 1 f $32 in the ratio 7 : 1

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12.2 Sharing in a ratio

7 Share these amounts between Yakecan and Nantan in the ratios given.
a $55 in the ratio 2 : 3 b $49 in the ratio 3 : 4
c $64 in the ratio 3 : 5 d $28 in the ratio 5 : 2
e $48 in the ratio 7 : 5 f $28 in the ratio 11 : 3
8 A box of fruit contains oranges and apples in the ratio 4 : 3. The box
contains 35 pieces of fruit.
a How many oranges are there in the box?
b What fraction of the fruit in the box are oranges?
9 A factory makes orange paint by mixing red paint and
yellow paint in the ratio 7 : 2. The factory makes 2700 litres
of orange paint every day.
a How many litres of yellow paint does the factory use
every day?
b What fraction of the orange paint is:
i red paint? ii yellow pain t??
10 Cheng and Amira buy an apartment for $36 000.
Cheng pays $12 000 and Amira pays the rest.
a Write the ratio of the amount they each pay, in its
simplest form.
b Two years later they sell the apartment for $42 000.
How much money should Amira get?

Challenge
11 There are two types of fish in a lake. The two types are carp a nd pike.
In a netted area of the lake 120 carp and 16 pike are caught. In the
whole lake it is estimated that there are 34 000 fish.

I estimate that there

are 4000 pike in the
lake altogether.

Show how Zara has worked out this estimate.

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12 Ratio and proportion

12 Estela and Luiza are going to share 35 dolls either in the ratio of
their ages or in the ratio of the number of dolls they have already.
Estela is 9 years old and already has 24 dolls. Luiza is 12 years old
and already has 36 dolls.
a Without working out the answer, conjecture which ratio, age or
dolls they have already, do you think will be better for Estela?
Explain your decision.
b Work out whether your decision is correct.
13 Arun has 72 coins. He has 5-cent and 10-cent coins in the ratio 5 : 3.

I have just over

$5 in total.

Is Arun correct? Explain your answer. Show your working.

1 1
14 Feng spends of his wages on rent. He keeps of what is left.
2 3
He shares the rest of his wages between his mother and his brother
in the ratio 5 : 4.
Feng earns $648 each month. How much does he give his brother in
one year?
15 Purple gold is made from two metals, gold and aluminium, in the
ratio 4 : 1.
A purple gold necklace weighs 20 g. If 1 g of gold costs $41.40 and
1 g of aluminium costs $4.25, what is the total value of the metals
in the necklace?

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12.3 Using direct proportion

12.3 Using direct proportion

One bag of chips costs $1.20.
Key words
Two bags of chips cost $2.40.
Three bags of chips cost $3.60. direct proportion
The number of bags of chips and the cost are said to be in direct proportion. unitary method

You can use direct proportion to solve problems like this:

The mass of two water bottles is 600 g. What is the mass of five Tip
water bottles?
The mass of two bottles is 600 g. As the number
of bags of
The mass of one bottle is 600 ÷ 2 = 300 g.
chips increases,
The mass of five bottles is 300 × 5 = 1500 g. the total cost
increases in the
Tip same proportion.

Find the mass of one item first, then find the mass of the number
of items needed.

Exercise 12.3
Focus
1 Copy and complete the following.
One shirt costs $30. Four shirts cost: × 30 = $
Two shirts cost: 2 × 30 = $ Ten shirts cost: × 30 = $
Three shirts cost: 3 × 30 = $
2 Copy and complete the following.
One chair weighs 8 kg. Five chairs weigh: × = kg
Two chairs weigh: 2 × 8 = kg Eight chairs weigh: × = kg
Three chairs weigh: × = kg
Tip
3 Copy and complete the following.
Two drinks cost $3. How much do seven drinks cost? Use the unitary
Two drinks cost $3 method.
One drink costs 3 ÷ 2 = $ 3 ÷ 2 = 1.5.
In dollars, this
Seven drinks cost 7 × =$
is $1.50.

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12 Ratio and proportion

4 Copy and complete the following.

Five grapes weigh 60 g. How much do four grapes weigh?
Five grapes weigh 60 g.
One grapes weighs: 60 g ÷ = g
Four grapes weigh: × = g

Practice
5 Tara goes to the gym three times a week. Work out how many times Tip
she goes to the gym in:
Remember that
a three weeks b one year there are 52
6 Copy and complete the workings to find the mass of seven potatoes. weeks in a year.
The mass of four potatoes is 500 g.

7 The mass of five pieces of bacalhau is 900 g. Work out the mass of:
Tip
a one piece of bacalhau
b seven pieces of bacalhau Bacalhau is
salted cod.
8 Hank pays $22.50 for five people to go 10-pin bowling.
How much does it cost for seven people to go
10-pin bowling?
9 A recipe uses 400 g of onion for five people. How
many grams of onion is needed for three people?
10 Melissa is paid $56 for 8 hours of work. How much
does she earn when she works for:
a 4 hours? b 12 hours?
11 A money exchange shop exchanges £100 for €166.
How many euros does it exchange for:
a £50? b £250?

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12.3 Using direct proportion

Challenge
12 This is part of Eduardo’s homework.

Explain Eduardo’s mistake and write the correct solution.

13 A carpenter buys 40 identical pieces of wood. The total value of
the wood is $300.
The carpenter makes a mistake in his measuring, so he then buys
eight extra pieces of wood. He works out that the total value of the
wood is now $375.
Is he correct? Explain your answer.
If the carpenter is not correct, what mistake do you think he has made?
14 A shop has bags of chips on offer.
Offer 1 Offer 2 Offer 3
3 bags for 85 cents 7 bags for $1.75 15 bags for $3.99

Which offer is the best value for money? Explain your answer.
15 A businessman buys 3 tonnes of rice for $3600.
He sells the rice for $1.60 per kg. How much profit does he make
per kilogram?
16 A washing machine is made from plastic and metal.
The ratio of plastic to metal is 4 : 5.
The mass of five washing machines is 360 kg. What is the mass of
metal in eight washing machines?

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