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Ratio Proportion and Rates of ChangeRatioSimplifying RatioUnitary FormFoundation

AQA GCSE · Question 12 · Ratio Proportion and Rates of Change

Write the ratio 6 : 2 in the form n : 1

How to approach this question

To get the ratio into the form n : 1, you need to make the right-hand side of the ratio equal to 1. The current ratio is 6 : 2. To change the 2 into a 1, you must divide it by 2. To keep the ratio equivalent, you must do the same to the left-hand side. Divide both sides by 2: 6 ÷ 2 = 3 2 ÷ 2 = 1 The new ratio is 3 : 1.

Full Answer

3 : 1
A ratio compares the sizes of two or more values. The ratio 6 : 2 means for every 6 of the first quantity, there are 2 of the second. To express this in the form n : 1, we need to find out how much of the first quantity corresponds to just 1 of the second quantity. We start with the ratio 6 : 2. We want the second number to be 1. To turn 2 into 1, we must divide by 2. To maintain the same proportional relationship, we must also divide the first number by 2. 6 ÷ 2 = 3 2 ÷ 2 = 1 So the equivalent ratio is 3 : 1. Here, n = 3.

Common mistakes

✗ Dividing the wrong way, e.g., 2 ÷ 6, giving 1/3 : 1.\n✗ Not dividing the left side, giving 6 : 1.

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