Final answer:
The question pertains to the concept of ratios, which express the relationship between two quantities. Ratios can be written using a colon or as a fraction, and setting two ratios equal to each other creates a proportion, important for solving for unknowns or verifying relationships.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question is about the concept of ratios and their use in expressing relationships between different quantities. In mathematics, a ratio represents how many times one number contains another, and is often written using a colon, like 5:2. A ratio can also be expressed as a fraction, which tells us how many parts we have out of a whole, or compared to another quantity. For instance, the ratio of cats to dogs in the question is the same as saying there are 5 cats for every 2 dogs. As a fraction, this would be 5/2 or 2.5 cats for every 1 dog.
Creating a proportion involves setting two ratios equal to each other, which helps us solve for unknown quantities or verify relationships. The statement provided, '5 cats 2 dogs,' simply restates the given ratio in a different format, without setting up a new relationship or proportion.
An important part of ratios and proportions is that they clarify the relationship between quantities and can be used to determine other related quantities when they are set equal to each other.