Question

Identify the means and the extremes in each of the following proportions. a. 4 : 24 = 2 : 12 b. 24⁄6 = 16⁄4 c. 4 : 8 = 8 : 16 d. 6⁄50 = 3⁄25

Answer 1

As you know, the "means" are the inside terms, b and c, and the "extremes" are the outside terms, a and d, in the proportion we might write in any of these ways:


`(a)/(b) = (c)/(d)`.
Then:
1. For the proportion
`(4)/(24) = (2)/(12)` the means are 24 and 2 and the extremes are 4 and 12.
2. For the proportion
`(24)/(6) = (16)/(4)` the means are 6 and 16 and the extremes are 24 and 4.
3. For the proportion
`(4)/(8) = (8)/(16)` the means are 8 and 8 and the extremes are 4 and 16.
4. For the proportion
`(6)/(50) = (3)/(25)` the means are 50 and 3 and the extremes are 6 and 25.