Sharing in a ratio

Hello, and welcome to Myriora Maths! Sam and Priya share sixty-four pounds in the ratio three to five. How much does each of them get? Let's work it out with a bar.

Three to five means Sam gets three parts and Priya gets five parts. That's eight parts altogether. So we draw a bar with eight equal boxes.

The whole bar is sixty-four pounds. So one part is sixty-four divided by eight: eight pounds.

Sam has three parts: three times eight is twenty-four pounds. Priya has five parts: five times eight is forty pounds.

Let's check. Twenty-four add forty is sixty-four pounds. It adds up!

Let's try one together. Share twenty sweets in the ratio one to four. Say it out loud!

One add four is five parts. Twenty divided by five is four sweets in each part. So it's four sweets, and sixteen sweets!

Here's a question that catches lots of people. Share sixty-four pounds in the ratio three to five. Some people divide sixty-four by three, and by five. But the three and the five are parts of one whole. Add them first: eight parts, so each part is eight pounds!

Your turn! Share thirty-five pounds in the ratio two to five. How much is the bigger share? Pick the right card. You've got twenty seconds, or pause the video. Go!

Time's up! Two add five is seven parts. Thirty-five divided by seven is five pounds a part. The bigger share is five parts: twenty-five pounds!

Quick review. Add the parts of the ratio, to find how many parts there are. Divide the amount by that number, to find one part. Multiply to find each share. Then check that the shares add up. See you next time!