Yes, you can make ratios easier to understand when they have mixed numbers and fractions. Just follow these simple steps:

1. Change Mixed Numbers to Improper Fractions:

   • For example, let's take the mixed number (2\frac{1}{2}).
   • We convert it to an improper fraction like this:
     (2\frac{1}{2} = \frac{5}{2}).

2. Make Sure Everything Is a Fraction:

   • We need both parts of the ratio in fraction form. For instance, the ratio (2:3\frac{1}{2}) will become:
     (2:\frac{7}{2}).

3. Get Rid of the Fractions:

   • To do this, multiply everything by the least common multiple (LCM) of the bottom numbers (denominators). For our example, the LCM is (2).
   • This gives us (4:7).

4. Check If You Can Simplify Further:

   • See if (4) and (7) can be made smaller together. In this case, they can’t be simplified any more.

By using these steps, you can simplify mixed numbers and fractions in ratios easily!