Ratios are helpful in many everyday situations. Let's break them down into two main types: part-to-part ratios and part-to-whole ratios.

Part-to-Part Ratios:

These compare two different parts. Here are some easy examples:

• Mixing paint colors: If you mix 2 parts red with 3 parts blue, that shows the amount of each color you need.
• Looking at pets in a home: If you have 4 cats and 1 dog, that's a ratio of 4 to 1.

Part-to-Whole Ratios:

These look at one part compared to the total whole. Here are a few examples:

• Figuring out how many girls there are in a class: If there are 20 girls out of 50 students, we can write this as a ratio of 20 to 50. If we simplify that, we get 2 to 5.
• Finding out how much of an ingredient is in a recipe: If a recipe calls for 3 cups of flour in a total of 12 cups, that shows how much flour makes up the whole mixture.

Knowing these ratios can help us make better choices in our daily lives!