Question

Use complete sentences to describe the difference between a ratio and a proportion.

Answer 1

A ratio is a comparison of two quantities that may or may not be related to each other, expressed in the form of a fraction or a colon. On the other hand, a proportion is a statement of equality between two ratios. In other words, a proportion is an equation in which two ratios are set equal to each other. A ratio only expresses the relative sizes of two quantities, whereas a proportion indicates that the two ratios have the same value. For example, the ratio of apples to oranges in a basket might be 3:2, while the proportion of apples to oranges might be 6:4 or 3:2, both of which indicate that the ratio of apples to oranges is the same.

Answer 2

Explanation:

A ratio is a comparison of two quantities, expressed as a fraction or with a colon. For example, the ratio of boys to girls in a classroom might be 2:3 or 2/3. A ratio does not require any specific relationship between the two quantities being compared.

A proportion, on the other hand, is an equation that states that two ratios are equal. It is a statement that two ratios have the same value. For example, if the ratio of boys to girls in a classroom is 2:3 and the total number of students is 50, we can set up a proportion to find out how many boys there are:

2/5 = x/50

In this case, x represents the number of boys. Solving the proportion yields x = 20, so there are 20 boys in the classroom.

In summary, while a ratio is simply a comparison of two quantities, a proportion is an equation that states that two ratios are equal.