Arithmetic Reasoning
Ratios
Yesterday I presented a question on ratios.
If there is a 5:4 ratio of sheep to goats and there are 25 sheep, how many goats are there?
As an ASVAB tutor, I remind my students of the importance of reviewing ratios for the Arithmetic Reasoning section of the ASVAB. Ratios are closely related to proportions. Many ratio problems can be solved as proportions while some are not.
This example can be solved as a proportion.
It tells us that there is a 5:4 ratio of sheep to goats.
This means that there are 5 sheep for every 4 goats.
I can set up a proportion of sheep/goats.
Sheep/goats 5/4 = 25/x
The problem can be cross multiplied to solve.
5 times x = 4 times 25
5x = 100
Divide by 5
100 divided by 5 = 20
The answer is 20 goats.
Did you know how to solve this problem?
