MEP Jamaica: STRAND A

UNIT 5 Ratio and Proportion: Teaching Notes

UNIT 5 Ratio and Proportion

Introduction

Teaching Notes

This is the fifth and final unit in Strand A, Computation. It brings together the concepts from the earlier units of this strand and culminates in the application of ratio to map scales. Map scales can vary greatly but it was agreed at an international conference in Paris in 1913 that countries should be encouraged to use the scale 1 : 1 000 000 for their country maps. For further information, see website http://geography.about.com/od/historyofgeograhy/a/millionthmap.htm?p=1 This means that 1 cm on map 1 000 000 cm in reality

10 000 m in reality
that is, 1 cm on map 10 km distance

This can be changed to 'inches' and 'miles' so that the scale becomes approximately 1 inch on map 15.8 miles distance Of course, maps showing more detailed information need a different scale; Jamaica Ordnance Survey Maps use a scale of 1 : 50 000; a town street map might use 1 : 10 000.

Teaching Points
Introduction Able students should have no difficulties with this unit and, as the topics have been met before, you should be able to cover the essential ideas and check progress in 2 or 3 lessons. For less confident students, the concepts of ratio and proportion will not be straightforward and you will need to provide time for introducing the work and for these students to gain confidence. The section on map scales will provide a practical hands-on approach and you should use real, local maps to help students' understanding and provide motivation. Language / Notation

Dividing a quantity into the ratio (or proportion) m : n means that the two parts are the fractions
n and m+n

n of the quantity. ( m + n)

For example, 5 : 2 means that the fractions are

5 2 and of the quantity. 7 7

For map scales, the notation, for example, 1 in 50 000, means that 1 cm on the map represents a
distance of 50 000 cm = 50 m =

1 km on the ground. 2
1

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MEP Jamaica: STRAND A

UNIT 5 Ratio and Proportion: Teaching Notes

UNIT 5 Ratio and Proportion

Teaching Notes

Key Points The ratio m : n is equivalent to 1 :

n m or : 1, etc. m n
m n and n+m n+m

To divide a quantity in the ratio m : n you need to calculate the fractions

of the quantity.

Similarly, you can divide a quantity into three parts with ratio a : b : c by calculating the fractions
a , a+b+c b , a+b+c c of the quantity. a+b+c

Misconceptions The ratio 1 : n does not mean the fraction

1 of the quantity. For example, 1 : 3 is not the fraction n

1 2 1 3 (and ) but (and ) of the quantity. 3 3 4 4

Increasing the map scale (e.g. from 1 : 10 000 to 1 : 20 000) actually decreases the map length. For example, doubling the scale will halve the map distance. (e.g. 1 unit on the map will now represent 20 0000 units on the ground, rather than 10 000).

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