Rebecca Wingard-Nelson - Percents and Ratios

DON'T SWEAT THE TEST! Having a problem with math? Nervous about your test? This book introduces all the topics you need to know about percents and ratios. Learn great testtaking tips for solving multiple choice, short-answer, and show-your-work questions. This is a great book for students to use on their own, or with parents, teachers, or tutors.
"If you find math topics such as ratios or percents confusing, this book will help! No matter your level, it has simple explanations to enable you to gain an understanding of the subject."

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Need More Practice?
FREE WORKSHEETS AVAILABLE AT ENSLOW.COM

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About The Author AUTHOR REBECCA WINGARD-NELSON has worked in public, private, and home-school mathematics education. She has been involved in various educational math projects, including developing and writing state assessment tests, exit exams, and proficiency tests, as well as writing and editing textbooks and workbooks. Most of the topics that are found on math tests are taught in the classroom. Paying attention in class, taking good notes, and keeping up with your homework are the best ways to be prepared for tests.

Use test preparation materials, such as flash cards and timed worksheets, to practice your basic math skills. Take practice tests. They show the kinds of items that will be on the actual test. They can show you what areas you understand, and what areas you need more practice in. Relax. Eat a good meal.

Go to bed early enough to get a good nights sleep. Dont cram on new material! Review the material you know is going to be on the test. Get what you need ready. Sharpen your pencils, set out things like erasers, a calculator, and any extra materials, like books, protractors, tissues, or cough drops. Get up early enough to eat breakfast and not have to hurry. Wear something that is comfortable and makes you feel good.

Listen to your favorite music. Get to school and class on time. Stay calm. Stay positive. Before you begin, take a deep breath. Focus on the test, not the people or things around you.

Remind yourself to do your best, and not to worry about what you do not know. Work through the entire test, but dont spend too much time on any one problem. Dont rush, but move quickly first, answering all of the questions you can do easily. Go back a second time and answer the questions that take more time. Read each question completely. Read all the answer choices.

Eliminate answers that are obviously wrong. Read word problems carefully, and decide what the problem is asking. Check each answer to make sure it is reasonable. Estimate numbers to see if your answer makes sense. Concentrate on the test. Stay focused.

If your attention starts to wander, take a short break. Breathe. Relax. Refocus. Dont get upset if you cant answer a question. Mark it, then come back to it later.

When you finish, look back over the entire test. Are all of the questions answered? Check as many problems as you can. Look at your calculations and make sure you have the same answer on the blank as you do on your worksheet. Three common types of test problems are covered in this book: Multiple Choice, Show Your Work, and Explain Your Answer. Tips on how to solve each, as well as common errors to avoid, are also presented.

A ratio is a relationship between two values that shows one value in terms of the other.Ratios can be shown in different ways.A ratio is a relationship between two values that shows one value in terms of the other. Ratios can be shown in different ways.

If there are three hot dogs and one hamburger you could write ratios in the following ways:

• using a colon, as in 3 : 1 (for every three hot dogs, there is one hamburger)
• using the word to, as in 3 to 1 or 3 hot dogs to 1 hamburger
• using the fraction bar, as in 3/4 are hot dogs and 1/4 are hamburgers
• as a single number that is found by dividing one value by the total, as in 0.75 are hot dogs (by dividing 3 by 4) or 75% are hot dogs (0.75 as a percentage)

Four girls ate a total of 12 cookies: 3 oatmeal and 9 chocolate chip. What is the ratio of:a. girls to cookies
b. oatmeal cookies to chocolate chip cookies
c. oatmeal cookies to total cookiesPart a: This part of the problem compares two different whole values, the whole number of girls and the whole number of cookies. There are 4 girls and 12 cookies.

Lets use the word to for this ratio. The ratio of girls to cookies is 4 to 12.Part b: This part of the problem compares two parts of the whole number of cookies. Part of them are oatmeal and part are chocolate chip. The girls ate 3 oatmeal cookies and 9 chocolate chip cookies. Lets write this ratio using a colon. The ratio of oatmeal to chocolate chip is 3 : 9.Part c: This part of the problem compares part of the cookies to the whole number of cookies.

The girls ate 3 oatmeal cookies and ate a total of 12 cookies. Lets write this ratio using a fraction bar. The ratio of oatmeal to total is 3/12.term: A number in a ratio. The terms are named by where they appear in the ratio.For example, in the ratio 1 : 4, the number 1 is the first term, and the number 4 is the second term.When a ratio is written as a fraction, the top number is the first term, and the bottom is the second term.

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Mia made 13 quarts of strawberry jam and 5 quarts of peach jam. What is the ratio of strawberry jam to the amount of jam Mia made in all? The problem does not tell you the amount of jam Mia made in all. 13 + 5 = 18. 13 + 5 = 18.

She made 13 quarts of strawberry jam. This is the first term. She made 18 quarts in all. This is the second term. The ratio of strawberry to all is 13 to 18.

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Multiple choice problems give you a list of solutions.

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Multiple choice problems give you a list of solutions.

Other kinds of problems ask you to provide the solution. Problems that ask you to provide the solution should be answered clearly and in complete sentences.Some problems ask a question and ask you to explain your answer. Others just ask for an answer. Your score is based on both a correct response and how clearly you explain your reasoning. Include examples when they will clarify your answer.

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Are ratios the same as fractions?Solution: Ratios and fractions are not the same thing. Some ratios are fractions, but not all.

Fractions always compare a part to the number of parts in one whole. For example, if a class has 26 students, 12 boys and 14 girls, the fraction of boys in the class is 12/26. This is also a ratio. Ratios can compare two parts of a whole thing, a part to a whole, or two completely different things. The ratio of boys to girls in the class is 12/14.

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equivalent: Equal in value.Patterns can help you understand equivalent ratios.

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equivalent: Equal in value. Patterns can help you understand equivalent ratios.

The following section of a pattern shows two pumpkins and three leaves. The ratio of pumpkins to leaves is 2 : 3.