Ratio Examples

Write the ratio of vowels to consonants in the awesome palindrome, "No, Mel Gibson is a casino's big lemon."

There are 12 vowels and 17 consonants. The ratio of vowels to consonants is 12:17, 12 to 17, or . Thank goodness there was no "y" in there.

The local zoo has 22 aquatic animal species but only 15 terrestrial ones. What is the ratio of landlubbers to all critters?

Avast, ye matey! Since landlubbers tend to hang out in the terrestrial zone, we know there are 15 of them, compared to the total number of critters, 37. Therefore, the ratio comparing the two groups is . (We could also write 15:37 or 15 to 37.)

In a recent survey of 20 geometry students, it was discovered that 8 preferred Facebook while 12 liked Tumblr better. In simplest terms, what is the ratio of Facebookers to Tumblerites (or Tumblrers)?

To start with, the straight up ratio is 8:12. Simplifying this ratio requires us to find the greatest common factor (4), and divide both sides by it. That will give us 2:3.

The members of a local dance troupe prefer tap dancing to ballet, by a margin of 3 to 1. If there are 16 dancers, how many like ballet the best?

Based on the ratio we've been given, we know that for every 3 dancers who like tapping, there's 1 who likes ballet. Another way to say that is that 3 out of every 4 dancers like tapping best, which means 1 out of every 4 like ballet the best. That's , and  of 16 is 4.