- Define and explain Sharing in a Ratio in your own words
- Use key terms such as Ratio accurately
- Apply what you have learned to new examples and questions
- Avoid the common mistakes learners make with this topic
This lesson focuses on Sharing in a Ratio: split amounts fairly according to a given ratio.
Split amounts fairly according to a given ratio.
Key ideas
Sharing in a ratio
Add the parts to find the total number of shares, then divide the amount by that total. For £30 in the ratio 2:3, there are 5 shares of £6.
Simplifying ratios
Divide every part by the same number, just like cancelling fractions: 10:15 simplifies to 2:3. A ratio in simplest form is easiest to read.
Key term — Ratio: A comparison of two or more quantities, written with a colon, such as 3:2.
Share £40 in the ratio 3:2.
£24 and £16 — 5 shares of £8 each.
Answer: £24 and £16 — 5 shares of £8 each.
- Simplifying only one part of a ratio Every part must be divided by the same number, or the comparison changes.
- Mixing up the order when sharing £30 shared 2:3 gives £12 then £18 — match each share to the right person in order.
Practice
Yes — both simplify to 2:3.
100 ml — 500 ÷ 5 = 100.
2:3 — both divide by 6.
£12 — one notebook costs £1.50, and 8 × £1.50 = £12.
Quick check
Which of these best defines "Ratio"?
A map scale is 1:50,000. A road measures 6 cm on the map. What is its real length in km?
- Sharing in a Ratio: split amounts fairly according to a given ratio.
- Sharing in a ratio: Add the parts to find the total number of shares, then divide the amount by that total.
- Proportion: A statement that two ratios are equal, such as 1:2 = 2:4.
- Watch out for: simplifying only one part of a ratio