How to find a ratio - SSAT Upper Level Quantitative
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In a zoo with 
 animals, the ratio of mammals to reptiles to birds is 
. How many birds does the zoo have?
In a zoo with  animals, the ratio of mammals to reptiles to birds is 
. How many birds does the zoo have?
Let 
 be the number of mammals,
 be the number of reptiles, and 
 be the number of birds.
Since the zoo has 
 animals,



Because we want the number of birds, we need to find the value of 
.

Let  be the number of mammals,
 be the number of reptiles, and 
 be the number of birds.
Since the zoo has  animals,
Because we want the number of birds, we need to find the value of .
Compare your answer with the correct one above
John and Michela are business partners who agreed to split profits at a ratio of 2:3, with Michela taking the larger share. If their business made 
 in the first year, how much money did Michela make?
John and Michela are business partners who agreed to split profits at a ratio of 2:3, with Michela taking the larger share. If their business made  in the first year, how much money did Michela make?
Let 
 be the amount John takes home and 
 be the amount Michela takes home.
Since their business made 
,



We want to know how much Michela made so we need to find the value of 
.

Let  be the amount John takes home and 
 be the amount Michela takes home.
Since their business made ,
We want to know how much Michela made so we need to find the value of .
Compare your answer with the correct one above
A barn has 
 geese, 
 ducks, and 
 chickens. What is the ratio of geese to chickens?
A barn has  geese, 
 ducks, and 
 chickens. What is the ratio of geese to chickens?
First, add up the total number of ducks, geese, and chickens.

Now, write the fraction of these animals that are geese and the fraction of these animals that are chickens.


Now, since we want the ratio of geese to chickens, we write the fractions as thus:

Divide and simplify the resulting fraction to find the ratio.

First, add up the total number of ducks, geese, and chickens.
Now, write the fraction of these animals that are geese and the fraction of these animals that are chickens.
Now, since we want the ratio of geese to chickens, we write the fractions as thus:
Divide and simplify the resulting fraction to find the ratio.
Compare your answer with the correct one above
If 
 pounds of chicken cost 
, how much does 
 pounds of chicken cost?
If  pounds of chicken cost 
, how much does 
 pounds of chicken cost?
There is more than one way to solve this problem. You can either figure out how much the chicken costs per pound and multiply that cost by three pounds, or you can set up a proportion and solve for the cost of three pounds of chicken that way.
- Solving the Problem Using Cost per Pound
 
First, find how much the chicken costs per pound.

Since chicken costs 
 per pound, multiply this by the number of pounds we need to get the cost.

 pounds of chicken cost 
.
- Solving the Problem Using a Proportion
 
You can set up a proportion to figure out how much 
 pounds of chicken costs:

Cross multiply:

Solve for 
, the cost of 
 pounds of chicken:



There is more than one way to solve this problem. You can either figure out how much the chicken costs per pound and multiply that cost by three pounds, or you can set up a proportion and solve for the cost of three pounds of chicken that way.
- Solving the Problem Using Cost per Pound
 
First, find how much the chicken costs per pound.
Since chicken costs  per pound, multiply this by the number of pounds we need to get the cost.
 pounds of chicken cost 
.
- Solving the Problem Using a Proportion
 
You can set up a proportion to figure out how much  pounds of chicken costs:
Cross multiply:
Solve for , the cost of 
 pounds of chicken:
Compare your answer with the correct one above
In a class of 
 students, the ratio of freshmen to sophomores to juniors is 
. How many juniors are in the class?
In a class of  students, the ratio of freshmen to sophomores to juniors is 
. How many juniors are in the class?
Let 
 be the number of freshmen, 
 be the number of sophomores, and 
 be the number of juniors.
Now, since we have 
 students,



Since we want to find the number of juniors, we need to find the value of 
.

Let  be the number of freshmen, 
 be the number of sophomores, and 
 be the number of juniors.
Now, since we have  students,
Since we want to find the number of juniors, we need to find the value of .
Compare your answer with the correct one above
The angles in a triangle are in the ratio 
. What is the angle measurement of the largest angle?
The angles in a triangle are in the ratio . What is the angle measurement of the largest angle?
Let 
 be the values of the angles.
Since all the angles in a triangle need to add up to 
,



Because we want the value of the largest angle, we need to find the value of 
.

Let  be the values of the angles.
Since all the angles in a triangle need to add up to ,
Because we want the value of the largest angle, we need to find the value of .
Compare your answer with the correct one above
The angles in a triangle have a ratio of 
. What is the measurement of the smallest angle?
The angles in a triangle have a ratio of . What is the measurement of the smallest angle?
Let 
 be the values of the angles.
Since there are 
 degrees in a triangle,



Since we want the value of the smallest angle, find the value of 
.

Let  be the values of the angles.
Since there are  degrees in a triangle,
Since we want the value of the smallest angle, find the value of .
Compare your answer with the correct one above
In a high school of 
 students, the ratio of freshmen to sophomores to juniors to seniors is 
. How many juniors does this high school have?
In a high school of  students, the ratio of freshmen to sophomores to juniors to seniors is 
. How many juniors does this high school have?
Let 
 be the number of freshmen, 
 be the number of sophomores, 
 be the number of juniors, and 
 be the number of seniors.
Because the high school has 
 students,



Since we want to find out how many juniors there are, we need the value of 
.

Let  be the number of freshmen, 
 be the number of sophomores, 
 be the number of juniors, and 
 be the number of seniors.
Because the high school has  students,
Since we want to find out how many juniors there are, we need the value of .
Compare your answer with the correct one above
In a factory, there are 
 glass bottles. If the ratio of red bottles to blue bottles is 
, how many more blue bottles than red bottles are there?
In a factory, there are  glass bottles. If the ratio of red bottles to blue bottles is 
, how many more blue bottles than red bottles are there?
First, find the number of red bottles and blue bottles.
Let 
 be the number of red bottles and 
 be the number of blue bottles. Since there is a total of 
 bottles at the factory,



There are 
 red bottles. Find the value of 
 to find the number of blue bottles.

Now, because the question wants to find how many more blue bottles than red bottles there are, subtract the number of red bottles from the number of blue bottles.

First, find the number of red bottles and blue bottles.
Let  be the number of red bottles and 
 be the number of blue bottles. Since there is a total of 
 bottles at the factory,
There are  red bottles. Find the value of 
 to find the number of blue bottles.
Now, because the question wants to find how many more blue bottles than red bottles there are, subtract the number of red bottles from the number of blue bottles.
Compare your answer with the correct one above
The ratio of offensive players to defensive players on a football team is 
. If there are 
 players on the team, how many offensive players are there?
The ratio of offensive players to defensive players on a football team is . If there are 
 players on the team, how many offensive players are there?
Let 
 be the number of offensive players and 
 be the number of defensive players.
Since there is a total of 
 players on the team,



We need to find the number of offensive players, so we will need to find the value of 
.

Let  be the number of offensive players and 
 be the number of defensive players.
Since there is a total of  players on the team,
We need to find the number of offensive players, so we will need to find the value of .
Compare your answer with the correct one above
In a high school, the ratio of freshmen to seniors is 
. If there are 
 seniors, how many freshmen are there?
In a high school, the ratio of freshmen to seniors is . If there are 
 seniors, how many freshmen are there?
Set up the following proportion, with 
 being the number of freshmen.

Now, cross-multiply and solve for 
.


Set up the following proportion, with  being the number of freshmen.
Now, cross-multiply and solve for .
Compare your answer with the correct one above
On a beach, the ratio of crabs to seagulls is 
. If there are 
 crabs and seagulls on the beach, how many crabs are there?
On a beach, the ratio of crabs to seagulls is . If there are 
 crabs and seagulls on the beach, how many crabs are there?
Let 
 be the number of crabs and 
 be the number of seagulls.
Since there are 
 crabs and seagulls on the beach,



Because the question asks for the number of crabs, we need to find the value of 
.

Let  be the number of crabs and 
 be the number of seagulls.
Since there are  crabs and seagulls on the beach,
Because the question asks for the number of crabs, we need to find the value of .
Compare your answer with the correct one above
There are 
 boys and 
 girls at a playground. What is the ratio of boys to girls?
There are  boys and 
 girls at a playground. What is the ratio of boys to girls?
Write the numbers of boys and girls as a fraction, then simplify.

 can also be written as 
Write the numbers of boys and girls as a fraction, then simplify.
 can also be written as 
Compare your answer with the correct one above
At a high school, there are 
 freshmen, 
 sophomores, 
 juniors, and 
 seniors. What is the ratio of seniors to freshmen?
At a high school, there are  freshmen, 
 sophomores, 
 juniors, and 
 seniors. What is the ratio of seniors to freshmen?
Write the number of seniors and numbers of freshmen as a fraction:

That fraction is equivalent to 
.
Write the number of seniors and numbers of freshmen as a fraction:
That fraction is equivalent to .
Compare your answer with the correct one above

A popular word game uses one hundred tiles, each of which is marked with a letter or a blank. The distribution of the tiles is shown above, with each letter paired with the number of tiles marked with that letter. Notice that there are two blank tiles.
If the tiles marked with an "E" are removed, and the rest are placed in a box, then what is the ratio of consonant tiles to vowel tiles in the box?
Note: for purposes of this problem, "Y" is considered a consonant.

A popular word game uses one hundred tiles, each of which is marked with a letter or a blank. The distribution of the tiles is shown above, with each letter paired with the number of tiles marked with that letter. Notice that there are two blank tiles.
If the tiles marked with an "E" are removed, and the rest are placed in a box, then what is the ratio of consonant tiles to vowel tiles in the box?
Note: for purposes of this problem, "Y" is considered a consonant.
Out of the 100 tiles, there are nine "A" tiles, twelve "E" tiles, nine "I" tiles, eight "O" tiles, and four "U" tiles.
If the "E" tiles are removed, there will be
 vowel tiles.
The number of consonant tiles can most easily be found by adding the number of vowel tiles and blanks:
.
The rest of the tiles are consonant tiles; subtract from 100 to get
 of them.
Therefore, the ratio of consonant tiles to vowel tiles in the box after removing the "E's" is
 - that is, a 28 to 15 ratio.
Out of the 100 tiles, there are nine "A" tiles, twelve "E" tiles, nine "I" tiles, eight "O" tiles, and four "U" tiles.
If the "E" tiles are removed, there will be
 vowel tiles.
The number of consonant tiles can most easily be found by adding the number of vowel tiles and blanks:
.
The rest of the tiles are consonant tiles; subtract from 100 to get
 of them.
Therefore, the ratio of consonant tiles to vowel tiles in the box after removing the "E's" is
 - that is, a 28 to 15 ratio.
Compare your answer with the correct one above
A barn has 
 geese, 
 ducks, and 
 chickens. What is the ratio of geese to chickens?
A barn has  geese, 
 ducks, and 
 chickens. What is the ratio of geese to chickens?
First, add up the total number of ducks, geese, and chickens.

Now, write the fraction of these animals that are geese and the fraction of these animals that are chickens.


Now, since we want the ratio of geese to chickens, we write the fractions as thus:

Divide and simplify the resulting fraction to find the ratio.

First, add up the total number of ducks, geese, and chickens.
Now, write the fraction of these animals that are geese and the fraction of these animals that are chickens.
Now, since we want the ratio of geese to chickens, we write the fractions as thus:
Divide and simplify the resulting fraction to find the ratio.
Compare your answer with the correct one above
If 
 pounds of chicken cost 
, how much does 
 pounds of chicken cost?
If  pounds of chicken cost 
, how much does 
 pounds of chicken cost?
There is more than one way to solve this problem. You can either figure out how much the chicken costs per pound and multiply that cost by three pounds, or you can set up a proportion and solve for the cost of three pounds of chicken that way.
- Solving the Problem Using Cost per Pound
 
First, find how much the chicken costs per pound.

Since chicken costs 
 per pound, multiply this by the number of pounds we need to get the cost.

 pounds of chicken cost 
.
- Solving the Problem Using a Proportion
 
You can set up a proportion to figure out how much 
 pounds of chicken costs:

Cross multiply:

Solve for 
, the cost of 
 pounds of chicken:



There is more than one way to solve this problem. You can either figure out how much the chicken costs per pound and multiply that cost by three pounds, or you can set up a proportion and solve for the cost of three pounds of chicken that way.
- Solving the Problem Using Cost per Pound
 
First, find how much the chicken costs per pound.
Since chicken costs  per pound, multiply this by the number of pounds we need to get the cost.
 pounds of chicken cost 
.
- Solving the Problem Using a Proportion
 
You can set up a proportion to figure out how much  pounds of chicken costs:
Cross multiply:
Solve for , the cost of 
 pounds of chicken:
Compare your answer with the correct one above
In a class of 
 students, the ratio of freshmen to sophomores to juniors is 
. How many juniors are in the class?
In a class of  students, the ratio of freshmen to sophomores to juniors is 
. How many juniors are in the class?
Let 
 be the number of freshmen, 
 be the number of sophomores, and 
 be the number of juniors.
Now, since we have 
 students,



Since we want to find the number of juniors, we need to find the value of 
.

Let  be the number of freshmen, 
 be the number of sophomores, and 
 be the number of juniors.
Now, since we have  students,
Since we want to find the number of juniors, we need to find the value of .
Compare your answer with the correct one above
The angles in a triangle are in the ratio 
. What is the angle measurement of the largest angle?
The angles in a triangle are in the ratio . What is the angle measurement of the largest angle?
Let 
 be the values of the angles.
Since all the angles in a triangle need to add up to 
,



Because we want the value of the largest angle, we need to find the value of 
.

Let  be the values of the angles.
Since all the angles in a triangle need to add up to ,
Because we want the value of the largest angle, we need to find the value of .
Compare your answer with the correct one above
In a zoo with 
 animals, the ratio of mammals to reptiles to birds is 
. How many birds does the zoo have?
In a zoo with  animals, the ratio of mammals to reptiles to birds is 
. How many birds does the zoo have?
Let 
 be the number of mammals,
 be the number of reptiles, and 
 be the number of birds.
Since the zoo has 
 animals,



Because we want the number of birds, we need to find the value of 
.

Let  be the number of mammals,
 be the number of reptiles, and 
 be the number of birds.
Since the zoo has  animals,
Because we want the number of birds, we need to find the value of .
Compare your answer with the correct one above