Lesson 17

RATIO AND PROPORTION

Ratio is the spoken language of arithmetic. It is how we relate quantities of

the same kind.
6 people, for example, are half of 12 people. "Half" is the name of the
ratio -- the relationship -- of 6 to 12. Most important, we will see that
percents are ratios. In the language of percent, we say that 6 people
are 50% of 12 people. Why? Because 50% has that same ratio to 100%.
"Half."
This Lesson depends on Lesson 15: Parts of Natural Numbers

1. What do we mean by the ratio of two natural numbers?

It is their relationship with respect to relative size, which we can always

name. Specifically, we can say that one number is a multiple of the other (so
many times it), a part of it, or parts of it.

(Euclid, Book VII. Def. 20.)

Example 1. Multiple. What ratio has 15 to 5?
Answer. 15 is three times 5.
That is the ratio -- the relationship -- of 15 to 5. If Jill has $15, and Jack
has $5, then Jill has three times what Jack has.

To answer "3 to 1" is not sufficient, because we want to

name the ratio of 15 to 5 explicitly. It is true that 15 is to
5 as 3 is to 1 -- but what ratio has 3 to 1?
3 is three times 1.
(The 19th century program to rid mathematics of
language and replace it with algebraic relations,
successfully put to sleep the subject of ratio and
proportion.)

Notice that we answer with a complete sentence beginning with the first
number 15, and ending with the last number 5. For, a ratio is a relationship.

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 The two numbers in a ratio are called the terms; the first and the second.
When the first term is larger, we say it is so many times the smaller. 15 is
three times 5.
What ratio has 28 to 7?
28 is four times 7.
Example 2. Part. What ratio has 5 to 15?
Answer. 5 is the third part of 15.
That is called the inverse ratio of 15 to 5. The terms are exchanged.
Notice again that we answer with a complete sentence beginning with
the first term and ending with the second. "5 is 15."
Example 3. Parts. What ratio has 10 to 15?

Answer. 10 is two thirds of 15.

"Three times." "The third part." "Two thirds." Those are names of ratios;
of relations between two numbers. One number is a multiple of the other (so
many times it), a part of it, or parts of it.
As we pointed out in the Lesson on parts, the names of
ratios are prior to the names of the proper fractions.
Example 4. What ratio has 12 to 6?
Answer. 12 is two times 6. Or we could say, "12 is twice as much as 6," or "12
is double 6."
Those are the various ways of expressing the ratio, the relationship, of 12
to 6.
Inversely, 6 is half of 12.
When trying to express a ratio, if the student will say a sentence, and
then consider the truth of that sentence, the fact will speak for itself.
Example 5. What ratio has 80 to 8? Inversely, what ratio has 8 to 80?
Answer. 80 is ten times 8. Therefore, inversely, 8 is that part of 80 with the
ordinal form of ten: 8 is the tenth part of 80.
(For the relationship between 8 and 8-with-a-0 after it, i. e. 80,
see Lesson 2 and the problems that follow.)
Example 6. What ratio has 800 to 8? Inversely, what ratio has 8 to 800?
Answer. 800 is one hundred times 8. Inversely, 8 is the hundredth part of
800.
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 Percents are ratios
A percent is another way of naming a ratio, because a percent is a relationship
between two numbers. What ratio has 3 to 12? 3 is one quarter of 12. In the
language of percent, 3 is 25% of 12. Why does 25% mean one
quarter? Because 25% is one quarter of 100%. (Lesson 15.)

2. How do percents name ratios?

Whatever ratio the percent has to 100%, that is the ratio being named.

Example 7. What does 200% mean?

Answer. Since 200% is two times 100%, then 200% means two times. 200% of
8 -- two times 8 -- is 16.
Example 8. How much is 300% of 8?
Answer. 24. 300% of 8 means three times 8 because 300% is three
times 100%.

100% is the whole, in this case, 8. 50% means half, because 50% is half of
100%. 50% of 8 is 4.
200% means two times; 300% means three times; 400% means four
times; and so on.
Whatever ratio the percent has to 100%, that is the ratio being named.
We see that any number less than 8 will be less than 100% of 8. While
any number more than 8 will be more than 100%.
We have, as it were, two languages: The language of ratio --
"Half," "Three quarters," "Twice as much" -- and the language of
percent: 50%, 75%, 200%. The student must become fluent in both languages,
and in translating from one to the other.
Example 9. Compare the following:
a) 10 has what ratio to 40? b) 10 is what percent of 40?
c) 7 has what ratio to 21? d) 7 is what percent of 21?
Answers. a) 10 is the fourth part of 40, or a quarter of 40, or a fourth of 40.
b) 10 is 25% of 40.
25% means a quarter, because 25% is a quarter of 100%.
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c) 7 is a third of 21. d) 7 is 33 % of 21. Lesson 16, Question 6.
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Example 10. How much is 250% of 8?

Answer. 250% means two and a half times. It is 200% + 50%. 250% is
a mixed number of times -- expressed as a percent.
250% of 8, therefore, is 16 + 4 = 20.

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Example 11. How much is 433 % of $60?
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1 1
Answer. 433 % = 400% + 33 %: Four and a third times.
3 3
1
433 % of $60 = $240 + $20 = $260.
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Example 12. Calculate mentally: 125% of $7.80.
Answer. 125% means one and a quarter times: 100% + 25%.
Now, to take a quarter of $7.80, we may think of it as
$8.00 minus 20 cents.
A quarter of $8.00 is $2.00.
A quarter of 20 cents is 5 cents.
Therefore,

125% of $7.80 = $7.80 + $2.00 5 cents

= $9.80 5 cents

= $9.75.
Practice with these problems continues in Lesson 28.

RATIO AND PROPORTION 1

PROBLEMS

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11. Express the ratio of each of the following. Then express the inverse
11. ratio.
11. a) 5 to 10. "5 is half of 10. Inversely, 10 is two times 5."
11. b) 7 to 21.
7 is the third part of 21. Inversely, 21 is three times 7.
11. c) 32 to 8.
32 is four times 8. Inversely, 8 is the fourth part, or a quarter of 32.
11. d) 72 to 9.
72 is eight times 9. Inversely, 9 is the eighth part of 72.
11. e) 30 to 5.
30 is six times 5. Inversely, 5 is the sixth part of 30.
11. f) 200 to 100.
200 is two times 100. Inversely, 100 is half of 200.
11. g) 1000 to 100.
1000 is ten times 100. Inversely, 100 is the tenth part of 1000.
11. h) 1 to 12.
1 is the twelfth part of 12. Inversely, 12 is twelve times 1.
11. i) 40 to 8.
40 is five times 8. Inversely, 8 is the fifth part of 40.
11. j) 1 to 10.
1 is the tenth part of 10. Inversely, 10 is ten times 1.
11. k) 63 to 9.
63 is seven times 9. Inversely, 9 is the seventh part of 63.
11. l) 3 to 30.
3 is the tenth part of 30. Inversely, 30 is ten times 3.
11. m) 4 to 36.
4 is the ninth part of 36. Inversely, 36 is nine times 4.
2. Percent: Ratio to 100%. Percents are ratios. What ratio is each of
2. the following?
12. a) 50% Half. b) 25% A quarter. c) 75% Three quarters.
1 2
12. d) 33 % A ______. e) 66 % Two thirds.
3 3
12. f) 20% A fifth. g) 40% Two fifths.

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12. h) 60% Three ______. i) 80% Four fifths.

12. j) 1% One _________. k) 3% Three hundredths.

12. l) 200% Two _____, or _______ as much.

12. m) 300% ______ times. n) 800% Eight times.

12. o) 1000% ______ times. p) 10% The tenth part.

12. q) 30% Three tenths. q) 90% Nine tenths.

3. How much is
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50% of 12? 6. 25% of 12? 3. 33 % of 12? 4.
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200% of 12? 24. 300% of 12? 36. 400 % of 12? 48.

4. Each percent is what ratio?

4. a) 250% Two and a ______ times. How much is 250% of 12? 30
4. b) 350% Three and a half times. How much is 350% of 10? 35
4. c) 425% _____ and a ______ times. How much is 425% of 8? 34
1 1
4. d) 533 % _____ and a _______ times. How much is 533 % of 6? 32
3 3

5. Compare each "what ratio" question with the "what percent" question. 5. The
percent has that same ratio to 100%.
5. a) 7 has what ratio to 14? Half. 7 is what percent of 14? 50%
5. b) 9 has what ratio to 36? One fourth.
5. b) 9 is what percent of 36? 25%
5. c) 4 has what ratio to 20? A fifth. 4 is what percent of 20? 20%
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5. d) 5 has what ratio to 15? A third. 5 is what percent of 15? 33 %
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5. e) 7 has what ratio to 70? A tenth. 7 is what percent of 70? 10%
5. f) 18 has what ratio to 9? Two times.
5. f) 18 is what percent of 9? 200%
5. g) 27 has what ratio to 9? Three times.
5. g) 27 is what percent of 9? 300%

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 RATIO AND PROPORTION 1
ANSWERS
11. Express the ratio of each of the following. Then express the inverse
11. ratio.
11. a) 5 to 10. "5 is half of 10. Inversely, 10 is two times 5."
11. b) 7 to 21.
7 is the third part of 21. Inversely, 21 is three times 7.
11. c) 32 to 8.
32 is four times 8. Inversely, 8 is the fourth part, or a quarter of 32.
11. d) 72 to 9.
72 is eight times 9. Inversely, 9 is the eighth part of 72.
11. e) 30 to 5.
30 is six times 5. Inversely, 5 is the sixth part of 30.
11. f) 200 to 100.
200 is two times 100. Inversely, 100 is half of 200.
11. g) 1000 to 100.
1000 is ten times 100. Inversely, 100 is the tenth part of 1000.
11. h) 1 to 12.
1 is the twelfth part of 12. Inversely, 12 is twelve times 1.
11. i) 40 to 8.
40 is five times 8. Inversely, 8 is the fifth part of 40.
11. j) 1 to 10.
1 is the tenth part of 10. Inversely, 10 is ten times 1.
11. k) 63 to 9.
63 is seven times 9. Inversely, 9 is the seventh part of 63.
11. l) 3 to 30.
3 is the tenth part of 30. Inversely, 30 is ten times 3.
11. m) 4 to 36.
4 is the ninth part of 36. Inversely, 36 is nine times 4.
2. Percent: Ratio to 100%. Percents are ratios. What ratio is each of
2. the following?
12. a) 50% Half. b) 25% A quarter. c) 75% Three quarters.

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 1 2
12. d) 33 % A third. e) 66 % Two thirds.
3 3
12. f) 20% A fifth. g) 40% Two fifths.

12. h) 60% Three fifths. i) 80% Four fifths.

12. j) 1% One hundredth. k) 3% Three hundredths.

12. l) 200% Two times, or twice as much.

12. m) 300% Three times. n) 800% Eight times.

12. o) 1000% Ten times. p) 10% The tenth part.

12. q) 30% Three tenths. q) 90% Nine tenths.

3. How much is
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50% of 12? 6. 25% of 12? 3. 33 % of 12? 4.
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200% of 12? 24. 300% of 12? 36. 400 % of 12? 48.

4. Each percent is what ratio?

4. a) 250% Two and a half times. How much is 250% of 12? 30
4. b) 350% Three and a half times. How much is 350% of 10? 35
4. c) 425% Four and a quarter times. How much is 425% of 8? 34
1 1
4. d) 533 % Five and a third times. How much is 533 % of 6? 32
3 3

5. Compare each "what ratio" question with the "what percent" question. 5. The
percent has that same ratio to 100%.
5. a) 7 has what ratio to 14? Half. 7 is what percent of 14? 50%
5. b) 9 has what ratio to 36? One fourth.

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5. b) 9 is what percent of 36? 25%
5. c) 4 has what ratio to 20? A fifth. 4 is what percent of 20? 20%
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5. d) 5 has what ratio to 15? A third. 5 is what percent of 15? 33 %
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5. e) 7 has what ratio to 70? A tenth. 7 is what percent of 70? 10%
5. f) 18 has what ratio to 9? Two times.
5. f) 18 is what percent of 9? 200%
5. g) 27 has what ratio to 9? Three times.
5. g) 27 is what percent of 9? 300%

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