Solving

Solving proportions
proportions
 Proportions
What are proportions?
- If two ratios are equal, they form a
proportion. Proportions can be used in geometry
when working with similar figures.
1 4
=
What do we mean by similar? 2 8
1:3 = 3:9

- Similar describes things which have the same

shape but are not the same size.
Solve the proportion.
=t 7
32 16

ANSWER 14

18 b
=
24 12

ANSWER 9
 What if…..
• Sometimes the
equivalent ratios
are not simple.
8 5

x 11
 Cross multiply
8 5

x 11
8  11  5  x
 Cross multiply
8 5

x 11
8  11  5  x
88  5 x
 Cross multiply
8 5

x 11
8  11  5  x
88  5 x
88 5 x

5 5
 Set up and solve this proportion.

8) 5 is to 4 as 45 is to x.
s s
o
cr o l y
w ip 5 = ____
____ 45
N ult
m
4 x
5x = 180
5 5
x = 36
First - Set up & solve the proportion.

9) 3 is to 2 as x is to 18.
s s
o
cr o l y
w ip 3 = ____
____ x
N ult
m
2 18
2x = 54
2 2
x = 27
NO set up this time!!
Just solve…..

3 x
10) 
6 48
6x = 144
6 6
x = 24
 Use the cross products property

Solve the proportion 8 = 6 .

x 15
8 = 6 Write original proportion.
x 15
8 15 = x 6 Cross products property

120 = 6x Simplify.

20 = x Divide each side by 6.

EXAMPLE 1
GUIDED PRACTICE

Solve the proportion. Check your solution.

4 = 5
a 37

ANSWER 29.6
Solve the proportion.
21
=n 2
5

ANSWER 52.5

4 9
=
11 p

ANSWER 24.75
Solve the proportion.
4= 15
7 x

ANSWER 26.25

5 2
=
32 p

ANSWER 12.8
Solve the proportion.
It takes 30 tomatillos to make 8 ounces of enchilada
sauce. How many tomatillos does it take to make 12
ounces of enchilada sauce?

SET IT UP
Solve the proportion.
It takes 30 tomatillos to make 8 ounces of enchilada
sauce. How many tomatillos does it take to make 12
ounces of enchilada sauce?

SET IT UP

30
=8 x
12
Solve the proportion.
It takes 30 tomatillos to make 8 ounces of enchilada
sauce. How many tomatillos does it take to make 12
ounces of enchilada sauce?

ANSWER 45 tomatillos
Solve the proportion.
a 9
=
7 21

ANSWER 3
Solve the proportion.

32 m
= 14
28

ANSWER 16

A printer can print 12 color pages in 3 minutes.

How many color pages can the printer print in
9 minutes? Write and solve a proportion to find
the answer.
12 x
ANSWER = ; 36 color pages
3 9
Seals
Each day, the seals at an aquarium are each fed 8
pounds of food for every 100 pounds of their body
weight. A seal at the aquarium weighs 280 pounds.
How much food should the seal be fed per day?
SOLUTION
STEP 1
Write a proportion involving two ratios that
compare the amount of food with the weight of the
seal.
8 x amount of food
=
100 280 weight of seal
 Use the scale on a map
Maps

SOLUTION

From the map’s scale, 1 centimeter

represents 85 kilometers. On the
map, the distance between
Cleveland and Cincinnati is about 4.2
centimeters.
Write and solve a proportion to find the distance d
between the cities.
1 4.2 centimeters
= d
85 kilometers

1 d = 85 4.2 Cross products property

ANSWER d = 357 Simplify.

The actual distance between Cleveland and Cincinnati

is about 357 kilometers.
EXAMPLE 4 Use the scale on a map
GUIDED PRACTICE

Model ships
6. The ship model kits sold at a hobby store have a
scale of 1 ft : 600 ft. A completed model of the
Queen Elizabeth II is 1.6 feet long. Estimate the
actual length of the Queen Elizabeth II.

ANSWER about 960 ft

 Solving Proportional
Problems

So how do we use
proportions and 8 feet
similar figures?
4 feet

2 feet

? feet
 Solving Proportional
Problems

So how do we use
proportions and 8 feet
similar figures?
4 feet

ANSWER 4
2 feet

? feet
 Try One Yourself
Set up a
proportion. What
is the width of
8 feet 12 feet the larger stick
figure?

4 feet

x feet
 Solving for the Building’s
Height
building
Here is a sample calculation
for the height of a building:
x ft 48 ft x feet
=
3 ft 4 ft
48 feet
4x = 144
yardstick
x = 36 3 feet

The height of the building is 36

4 feet
feet.
 m 4
11) 
2 16
Now

16m = 8 simplify

16 16
8 1
m = m
16 2
12) Mr. Jones has taken a survey of college
students and found that 40 out of 47 students are
liberal arts majors. If a college has 10,827
students, what is the number of students who are
liberal arts majors, rounded to the nearest whole
number?

x
40 = _______
____
First – Set up
Your proportion! 47 10,827

os s 47x = 433,080
cr l y
o w ip
N ult
m
47 47
x = 9214
13) Geothermal energy is heat from inside the
earth. Underground temperatures generally
increase 9°C for every 300 meters of depth. How
deep would a well have to be for the temperature
to reach 216°C ?

First – Set up
9° = _____
____ 216°
Your proportion!
300 m
9m = 64800
9 9
m = 7200
14) A map has a scale of 1 cm = 30 km. If two
cities are 11 cm apart on the map, what is the
actual distance between the two cities to the
nearest tenth of a km?

First – Set up
____ 11cm
1cm = _____
Your proportion! 30km x
1x = 330
x = 330 km
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