Question

four balls of wool will make 8 knitted caps. how many balls of wool will malcolm need if he wants to make 6 caps

Answer 1

The ratio of balls of wool to knitted caps is 4:8, which can be simplified to 1:2. Say the number of balls of yarn you are trying to figure out is x, you can create an equation 1:2=x:6, then multiply 6 by 1/2 to find x. 

Answer 2

4 balls of wool = 8 caps

8/4 = 2

So 1 ball of wool = 2 caps

Therefore, 3 balls of wool = 6 caps.