Understanding and Working with Ratios
Ratios are your tool for comparing two quantities and showing their relative sizes. Think of them like a recipe - if you need 2 cups of flour to 3 cups of milk, that's a 2:3 ratio.
You can make ratios simpler by finding the greatest common divisor (GCD) and dividing both numbers by it. For example, 6:9 becomes 2:3 when you divide both sides by 3. This makes calculations much easier!
Ratios work just like fractions too. The ratio 3:4 can be written as 3/4, which helps when you're doing calculations. Sometimes you'll need ratios in the form n:1 or 1:n - just divide both terms by one of them, like turning 4:8 into 1:2.
Top Tip: Always check if you can simplify your ratio first - it makes everything else much easier!
