ratios,rates,unit rates
2/12/16
ratios
rates
ratio is a comparison of two numbers or measurements. The numbers or measurements being compared are called the terms of the ratio. A rate is a special ratio in which the two terms are in different units. For example, if a 12-ounce can of corn costs 69¢, the rate is 69¢ for 12 ounces. The first term of the ratio is measured in cents; the second term in ounces. You can write this rate as 69¢/12 ounces or 69¢:12 ounces. Both expressions mean that you pay 69¢ "for every" 12 ounces of corn.
Rates are used by people every day, such as when they work 40 hours a week or earn interest every year at a bank. When rates are expressed as a quantity of 1, such as 2 feet per second or 5 miles per hour, they are called unit rates. If you have a multiple-unit rate such as 120 students for every 3 buses, and want to find the single-unit rate, write a ratio equal to the multiple-unit rate with 1 as the second term.