Day 8: Ratios and Proportions! ⚖️
Middle Stage Mathematics | Apex Institute of Maths and Sciences
🎯 1. Concept: Comparing Quantities
Welcome to Week 2! Today we are introducing Ratios and Proportions.
A ratio is simply a mathematical way to compare two or more quantities. It tells us how much of one thing there is compared to another thing.
💡 2. Rules of Ratios
Order matters immensely in ratios!
- If a bowl has 3 apples and 2 oranges, the ratio of apples to oranges is 3:2.
- The ratio of oranges to apples is 2:3.
- Ratios can be written in three ways: 3:2, 3 to 2, or as a fraction 3/2.
- Just like fractions, ratios should be simplified to their lowest terms (e.g., 4:8 becomes 1:2).
🌍 3. Math in Our Daily Life
Ratios are the secret behind cooking, driving, and even watching videos!
Scenario 1: Baking a Cake. A recipe might call for 2 cups of flour for every 1 cup of sugar (a 2:1 ratio). If you want to make a cake twice as big, you keep the same proportion: 4 cups of flour and 2 cups of sugar (4:2 simplifies back to 2:1!).
Scenario 2: Video Aspect Ratios. When you watch YouTube or movies on your TV, the screen uses an aspect ratio, typically 16:9. This means for every 16 units of width, there are 9 units of height.
📝 4. Home Practice (Observation Task)
Time to be a kitchen mathematician!
- Task A: The Recipe Scaler: Find a simple recipe at home (like making tea or lemonade). Write down the ratio of the main ingredients (e.g., 1 spoon of sugar to 1 glass of water). Now, calculate exactly how much of each ingredient you need to make enough for 5 people!
- Task B: Room Ratio: Count the number of chairs and the number of tables in your main living space. What is the ratio of chairs to tables? Can you simplify it?
✅ 5. Day 8 Practice Test
Are you a master of comparisons? Take this quiz to test your ratio skills. Select your answers and click submit to check your score.
