Solving Ratio Word Problems A Visual and Algebraic Approach

Problem: Janey has red, blue, and green marbles in the ratio of 5:4:3, and she has a total of 36 marbles. How many blue marbles does Janey have?

Janey has red, blue, and green marbles in the ratio of 5:4:3, and she has a total of 36 marbles. How many blue marbles does Janey have? This means that for every group of 5 + 4 + 3 = 12 marbles, 5 are red, 4 are blue, and 3 are green: 12 24 36

Therefore we have 15 red, 12 blue, and 9 green. 15 red 12 blue 9 green How can we do solve these types of problems algebraically?

Janey has red, blue, and green marbles in the ratio of 5:4:3, and she has a total of 36 marbles. How many blue marbles does Janey have? Write an equation, with x being defined as the unknown factor by which you are multiplying each part of the ratio: 5x + 4x + 3x = 36 12x = 36 x = 3 Multiply each part of the ratio by x to get the final number: Red = 5(3) = 15 Blue = 4(3) = 12 Green = 3(3) = 9

Thanks for watching! Woof.