Ratio

The ratio of two numbers a and b is the fraction , usually expressed in reduced form. An alternative form involves a colon. The colon form is most frequently used when comparing three or more numbers to each other. See Table 1 . TABLE 1 Ratio Formats Ratio 3 to 4 a to b, b 0 1 to 3 to 5 Written Form 3/4 or 3 : 4 a/b or a : b 1:3:5

Example 1: A classroom has 25 boys and 15 girls. What is the ratio of boys to girls?

The ratio of boys to girls is 5 to 3, or 5/3, or 5 : 3. Example 2: The ratio of two supplementary angles is 2 to 3. Find the measure of each angle.

The angles have measures of 72 and 108. 2 x to 3 x reduces to 2 to 3. 2 x + 3 x = 180 (The sum of supplementary angles is 180.) 5 x = 180 x = 36 Then, 2 x = 2(36) and 3 x = 3(36). So, 2 x = 72 and 3 x = 108

The angles have measures of 72 and 108. Example 3: A triangle has angle measures of 40, 50, and 90. In simplest form, what is the ratio of these angles to each other?

40 : 50 : 90 = 4 : 5 : 9 (10 is a common divisor)

This means that: 1. The ratio of the first to the second is 4 to 5. 2. The ratio of the first to the third is 4 to 9. 3. The ratio of the second to the third is 5 to 9. Example 4: A 50-inch segment is divided into three parts whose lengths have the ratio 2 : 3 : 5. What is the length of the longest part?

The longest part has a measure of 25 inches.

Proportion
A proportion is an equation stating that two ratios are equal.

Means and extremes

The extremes are the terms in a proportion that are the farthest apart when the proportion is written in colon form ( a:b = c:d). In the foregoing, a and d are extremes. The means are the two terms closest to each other.

In the preceding proportion, the values a and d are called extremes of the proportion; the values b and c are called the means of the proportion.

Properties of Proportions
The four properties that follow are not difficult to justify algebraically, but the details will not be presented here. Property 1 (Means-Extremes Property, or Cross-Products Property): If a/b = c/d, then ad =bc. Conversely, if ad = bc 0, then and .

Example 1: Find a if a/12 = 3/4. By Property 1:

Example 2: Is 3 : 4 = 7 : 8 a proportion? No. If this were a proportion, Property 1 would produce

Property 2 (Means or Extremes Switching Property): If a/ b = c/ d and is a proportion, then both d/ b = c/ a and a/ c = b/ d are proportions. Example 3: 8/10 = 4/5 is a proportion. Property 2 says that if you were to switch the 8 and 5 or switch the 4 and 10, then the new statement is still a proportion. If 8/10 = 4/5, then 5/10 = 4/8, or if 8/10 = 4/5, then 8/4 = 10/5. Example 4: If x/5 = y/4, find the ratio of x/ y.

Use the switching property of proportions and switch the means positions, the 5 and the y.

Property 3 (Upside-Down Property): If a/ b = c/ d, then b/ a = d/ c. Example 5: If 9 a = 5 b 0, find the ratio . First, apply the converse of the Cross Products Property and obtain the following:

Next, proceed in one of the following two ways:

Apply Property 3 to 9/5 = b/ a: o Turn each side upside-down. o 5/9 = a/b, or a/b = 5/9 Apply Property 2 to 9/ b = 5/ a: o Switch the 9 and the a. o a/ b = 5/9

Property 4 (Denominator Addition/Subtraction Property): If a/ b = c/ d, then ( a + b)/ b = ( c + d)/ d or ( a b)/ b = ( c d)/ d. Example 6: If 5/8 = x/ y, then 13/8 = ?

Example 7: In Figure 1 , AB/ BC = 5/8. Find AC/ BC.

Figure 1Using the Segment Addition Postulate. Recall that AB + BC = AC (Segment Addition Postulate).

Example 8: A map is scaled so that 3 cm on the map is equal to 5 actual miles. If two cities on the map are 10 cm apart, what is the actual distance the cities are apart? Let x = the actual distance.

Apply the Cross-Products Property.

Ratio and Proportion

Compounded Ratio of two ratios a/b and c/d is ac/bd, i.e., ac : bd. Duplicate ratio of a : b is a : b Triplicate ratio of a : b is a : b Sub-duplicate ratio of a : b is a : b Sub-triplicate ratio of a : b is a : b Reciprocal ratio of a : b is b : a Proportion. Four (non-zero) quantities of the same kind a, b, c, d are in proportion, written as a : b :: c : d iff a/b = c/d The non-zero quantities of the same kind a, b, c, d, ... are in continued proportion iff a/b = b/c = c/d = ... In particular, a, b, c are in continued proportion iff a/b = c/d. In this case b is called the mean proportion; b = ac; c is called third proportional. If a, b, c, d are in proportion, then d is called fourth proportional. Invertendo. If a : b :: c : d then b : a :: d : c Alternendo. If a : b :: c : d then a : c :: b : d

Componendo. If a : b :: c : d then (a +b) : b :: (c +d) : d Dividendo. If a : b :: c : d then (a -b) : b :: (c -d) : d Componendo and dividendo. If a : b :: c : d then (a +b) : (a -b) :: (c +d) : (c -d) i.e., a/b = c/d => (a +b)/(a - b) = (c +d)/(c +d) If a/b = c/d = e/f = ..., then each ratio = (a +c +e +...)/(b +d +f +...)

Doubt
the ratio compounded of 4:9, the duplicate ratio of 3:4, the triplicate ratio of 2:3 and 9:7 is????

Answer Explanation
The duplicate ratio of 3:4 is 32/42 = 9/16. The triplicate ratio of 2:3 is 23/33 = 8/27. Now we have 4 ratios: 4:9, 9:16, 8:27 and 9:7. We have to calculate the ratio compounded of all these ratios. That will be (4 x 9 x 8 x 9)/(9 x 16 x 27 x 7) = 2/21.

Exercise
1. Find the ratio of (i) 45 minutes to 5 hours (ii) 4 months and 2 years (iii) 12 kg and 60 gm. 2. Find the compounded ratio of (i) 5 : 7 and 9 : 10 (ii) (x +y) : (x -y) and (x -y) : (x +y) (iii) 2a : 3b, 2b : 3a, a : b 3. Find the following (i) the duplicate ratio of 3 : 7 (ii) the triplicate ratio of 2 : 5 (iii) the sub-duplicate ratio of 36 : 25 (iv) the sub-triplicate ratio of 27 : 1 (v) the reciprocal ratio of 9 : 11. 4. Find the following (i) the duplicatae ratio of 2 x : 3 y

(ii) the sub-duplicatae ratio of 16a : 25b (iii) the sub-triplicate ratio of a6 : 8b 5. Which ratio is greater 17 : 21 or 23 : 28? 6. Arrange the following ratios in descending order of magnitude 13 : 9, 25 : 23, 16 : 11 and 20 : 17 7. Arrange the ratios 2 : 3, 3 : 4, 4 : 5 in ascending order of magnitude. 8. A man earns Rs 5000 per month and spends Rs 3500 per month. Find the ratio of his (i) expenditure to income (ii) savings to income (iii) savings to expenditure. 9. If A : B = 4 : 5, B : C = 6 : 7, find A : C 10. If A : B = 6 : 7, B : C = 8 : 9, find A : B : C 11. Find the number which bears the same ratio to 7/33 that 8/21 bears to 4/9. 12. Two numbers are in ratio 7 : 11. If 7 is added to each of the numbers, the ratio becomes 2 : 3. Find the numbers. 13. A ratio is equal to 3 : 7. If the antecedent is 5, find the consequent. 14. Find two numbers in the ratio of 8 : 7 such that when each is decreased by 12, they are in ratio 11 : 9. 15. Divide Rs 170 in the ratio 3 : 7. 16. Find the value of x in the following proportions (i) 10 : 35 = x : 42 (ii) 3 : x = 24 : 2 (iii) 25 : 115 = x : 3 (iv) x : 50 :: 3 : 2. 17. Find the fourth proportional to (i) 1/3, 1/4, 1/5 (ii) 15, 25, 45 (iii) 96 kg, 72 kg, 288 kg (iv) 2xy, x, y 18. Find the third proportional to (i) 5, 10 (ii) 13, 39 (iii) 21/4 and 7 (iv) x -y, (x +y) (v) 2 x, 4 x. 19. Find the mean proportion of (i) 5 and 80 (ii) 1/12 and 1/75 (iii) 81 and 25 (iv) 5 + 2, 5 - 2 (v) (a -b), (a -b)5 20. What should be subtracted from 23, 30, 57 and 78 so that the remainders may be in proportion? 21. What number must be added to each of the numbers 6, 15, 20 and 43 to make them proportional?

22. Find two numbers such that their mean proportional is 9 and the third proportional is 243. 23. If three quantities are in continued proportion, prove that first is to third is the duplicate ratio of the first to the second. 24. If a b and a : b is the duplicate ratio of (a +c) and (b +c), prove that c is the mean proportional between a and b. 25. If b is the mean proportional between a and c, prove that (a -b +c)/(a-2 -b-2 +c-2) = b4 26. If x/a = y/b = z/c, prove that each ratio is equal to 27. If y is the mean proportional between x and z, prove that xyz(x +y +z) = (xy +yz +zx). 28. If x/a = y/b = z/c, prove that (i) (ii) 29. If x/(b-c) = y/(c-a) = z/(a-b), prove that (i) ax +by +cz = 0 (ii) x +y +z = 0 30. If ax = by = cz, prove that x/yz + y/xz + z/xy = bc/a + ca/b +ab/c 31. Find x from the following equations: (i) [ (a +x) + (a -x)]/[ (a + x) - (a - x)] = c/d (ii) 16

Answers
1. (i) 3 : 23 (ii) 2 : 15 (iii) 20 : 1 2. (i) 9 : 14 (ii) 1 : 1 (iii) 4a : 9b 3. (i) 9 : 49 (ii) 9 : 125 (iii) 6 : 5 iv) 3 : 1 (v) 11 : 9 4. (i) 4x : 9y (ii) 4a : 5b (iii) a : 2b. 5. 23 : 28 6. 16 : 11, 13 : 9, 20 : 17, 25 : 23 7. 2 : 3, 3 : 4, 4 : 5 8. (i) 7 : 10 (ii) 3 : 10 (iii) 3 : 7 9. 24 : 25. 10. 48 : 56 : 63 11. 2/11 12. 49 and 77 13. 35/3 14. 40, 35 15. Rs 51, Rs 119 16 (i) 12 (ii) 1/4 (iii) 5 (iv) 75 17. (i) 3/20 (ii) 75 (iii) 216 kg (iv) x y/2 18. (i) 20 (ii) 117 (iii) 28/3 (iv) (x +y)/(x-y) (v) 8 x 19. (i) 20 (ii) 1/30 (iii) 45 (iv) 3 (v) (a -b)4 20. 6 21. 3 22. 3,27 31. (i) 2acd/(c +d) (ii) a/3

Ratio and Proportions problems and solutions quantitative aptitude

Ratio and Proportions problems and solutions What is a ratio?

A ratio is a representation of distribution of a value present among the persons present and is shown as follows:

If a total is divided among A, B and C such that A got 4 parts, B got 5 parts and C got 6 parts then it is represented in ratio as A:B:C = 4:5:6.

So, 4:5:6 means that the total value is divided into 4+5+6 = 15 equal parts and then distributed as per the ratio.

Example 1:

Divide Rs. 580 between A and B in the ratio of 14:15.

Soln:

A:B = 14:15 => 580 is divided into 29 equal parts => each part = Rs. 20.

So As share = 14 parts = 14 x 20 = Rs. 280 Bs share = 15 parts = Rs. 300.

Example 2:

If A:B = 2:3 and B:C = 4:5 then find A:B:C.

Soln:

To combine two ratios the proportions common for them shall be in equal parts. Here the common proportion is B for the given ratios.

Making B equal in both ratios they become 8:12 and 12:15 => A:B:C = 8:12:15.

Example 3:

Three numbers are in the ratio of 3: 4 : 8 and the sum of these numbers is 975. Find the three numbers.

Soln:

Let the numbers be 3x, 4x and 8x. Then their sum = 3x+4x+8x = 15x = 975 => x = 65.

So the numbers are 3x = 195, 4x = 260 and 8x = 520.

Example 4:

Two numbers are in the ratio of 4 : 5. If the difference between these numbers is 24, then find the numbers.

Soln:

Let the numbers be 4x and 5x. Their difference = 5x 4x = x = 24 (given).

So the numbers are 4x = 96 and 5x = 120.

Example 5: Given two numbers are in the ratio of 3 : 4. If 8 is added to each of them, their ratio is changed to 5 : 6. Find two numbers.

Soln:

Let the numbers be a and b.

A:B = 3:4 => A / B = 3 / 4. Also, (A+8) / (B+8) = 5 / 6.

Solving we get, A=12 and B = 16

Example 6:

A garrison has provisions for 120 soldiers for 240 days. After 180 days 60 more soldiers will join the group. For how many more days will the provisions last?

Soln:

Actually after 180 days,

If 120 members are there provisions come for 60 more days (since total 240 days) But now 180 members are there.

So number of days = (120/180) X 60 = 40 days.

Example 7:

If 24 men working for 12 hrs a day can do a work in 16 days, in how many days can 8 men working 6 hrs a day do it?

Soln:

24 men 12 hrs 16 days 8 men 6 hrs ? days (n)

n =16 X (12 / 6) X (24 / 8) ( since no of hrs reduced no of days has to increase and no of men reduced also increases no of days i.e., inverse proportional)

=> n = 96 days.