Summary of Solving Ratio Word Problems:

1. Identify the Ratio: Carefully read the problem to find the given ratio. This ratio
establishes the relationship between two or more quantities. Express the ratio in its
simplest form if possible.
2. Set up a Proportion: A proportion is an equation stating that two ratios are equal. Use
variables to represent unknown quantities. Set up the proportion based on the given ratio
and the information provided in the problem.
3. Solve for the Unknown: Use cross-multiplication or other algebraic techniques to solve
the proportion for the unknown variable. This will give you the answer to the word
problem.
4. Check Your Answer: Always check your answer to ensure it makes sense in the context
of the problem. Does the solution satisfy the given conditions?

Examples:

Example 1: Simple Ratio Proportion

 Problem: A recipe for lemonade calls for a ratio of 2 parts lemon juice to 3 parts water. If
you want to make 25 cups of lemonade, how many cups of lemon juice do you need?
 Solution:
o Ratio: Lemon juice : Water = 2 : 3
o Total parts: 2 + 3 = 5 parts
o Proportion: 2/5 = x/25 (where x is the number of cups of lemon juice)
o Solving: 5x = 50 => x = 10 cups of lemon juice

Example 2: Ratio with a Difference

 Problem: The ratio of boys to girls in a class is 3:5. If there are 8 more girls than boys,
how many boys are there in the class?
 Solution:
o Ratio: Boys : Girls = 3 : 5
o Let 3x represent the number of boys and 5x represent the number of girls.
o Equation: 5x - 3x = 8
o Solving: 2x = 8 => x = 4
o Number of boys: 3x = 3 * 4 = 12 boys

Example 3: Ratio and Total Quantity

 Problem: A bag contains red and blue marbles in a ratio of 4:7. If the bag contains a total
of 66 marbles, how many blue marbles are there?
 Solution:
o Ratio: Red : Blue = 4 : 7
o Total parts: 4 + 7 = 11 parts
o Proportion: 7/11 = x/66 (where x is the number of blue marbles)
o Solving: 11x = 462 => x = 42 blue marbles
DIRECTION: Solve the following Problems. Write your Answers on a 1 whole sheet of
paper.

1. A recipe for cookies calls for a ratio of 2 cups of flour to 1 cup of sugar. If you want to make
a larger batch of cookies using 5 cups of sugar, how many cups of flour will you need?

2. A farm has chickens and cows. The ratio of chickens to cows is 5:2. If there are 35
chickens, how many cows are there?

3. Two cars are traveling at different speeds. Car A travels 150 miles in 3 hours, while Car B
travels 200 miles in 4 hours. Which car is traveling faster, and by what ratio?

4. A mixture of paint contains red and blue paint in a ratio of 3:7. If the total amount of paint
is 50 liters, how many liters of red paint are there?

5. A school has a student-teacher ratio of 25:1. If there are 750 students, how many teachers
are there?

6. The ratio of boys to girls in a class is 2:3. If 5 more boys join the class, the new ratio
becomes 3:4. How many girls are there in the class?

7. A fruit stand sells apples and oranges. The ratio of apples to oranges sold is 4:5. If the
stand sold 18 more oranges than apples, how many apples were sold?

8. Two similar triangles have sides in the ratio of 2:5. If the smaller triangle has a perimeter
of 18 cm, what is the perimeter of the larger triangle?

9. A map has a scale of 1 cm : 5 km. If the distance between two cities on the map is 7 cm,
what is the actual distance between the cities?

10.A company's profits and expenses are in a ratio of 7:3. If the total of profits and expenses
is $100,000, how much profit did the company make?
Solutions:

1. Solution: The ratio of flour to sugar is 2:1. To find the amount of flour needed for 5 cups
of sugar, set up a proportion: 2/1 = x/5. Solving for x, we get x = 10 cups of flour.
2. Solution: The ratio of chickens to cows is 5:2. Set up a proportion: 5/2 = 35/x. Solving for
x, we get x = 14 cows.
3. Solution: Car A's speed is 150 miles / 3 hours = 50 mph. Car B's speed is 200 miles / 4
hours = 50 mph. Both cars travel at the same speed, so the ratio is 1:1.
4. Solution: The ratio of red to blue paint is 3:7. The total ratio parts are 3 + 7 = 10. The
amount of red paint is (3/10) * 50 liters = 15 liters.
5. Solution: The student-teacher ratio is 25:1. Set up a proportion: 25/1 = 750/x. Solving for
x, we get x = 30 teachers.
6. Solution: Let the number of boys be 2x and the number of girls be 3x. After 5 more boys
join, the ratio is (2x + 5) / 3x = 3/4. Solving for x, we get x = 10. Therefore, there are 3x =
30 girls.
7. Solution: Let the number of apples be 4x and the number of oranges be 5x. The
difference is 5x - 4x = 18, so x = 18. The number of apples sold is 4x = 72 apples.
8. Solution: The ratio of the sides is 2:5. The ratio of the perimeters is also 2:5. Let the
perimeter of the larger triangle be y. Then 2/5 = 18/y. Solving for y, we get y = 45 cm.
9. Solution: The scale is 1 cm : 5 km. The distance on the map is 7 cm. The actual distance
is 7 cm * 5 km/cm = 35 km.
10.Solution: The ratio of profits to expenses is 7:3. The total ratio parts are 7 + 3 = 10. The
profit is (7/10) * $100,000 = $70,000.