A ratio is a comparative relation between two quantities.
6:4
Practice makes perfect
Consider the given diagram. We want to find the ratio of deer to bears. Let's start by counting the number of deer and the number of bears!
We can see from the diagram that there are 6 deer and 4 bears. Now, recall that a ratio is a comparison of two quantities by division. This means that to find the ratio of deer to bears, we will divide the number of deer, 6, by the number of bears, 4. Let's do it!
6/4 l← Number of deer ← Number of bears
The ratio of deer to bears is 64, which can be also written as 6 to 4 or 6:4. We know that the ratio ab means that for every a units of one quantity, there are b units of another quantity. Therefore, the ratio of 64 means that for every 6 deer, there are 4 bears.
The only common prime factor in the given values is 2, so 2 is the GCF of 6 and 4. Now we can simplify our ratio by dividing the numerator and denominator by 2.
The ratio of deer to bears is 32 or 1.5, which can be also written as 3 to 2 or 3:2. Recall that the ratio 32 also means that for every 3 deer, there are 2 bears.
