Measure the width and height (to the nearest cm) of the blackboard in your classroom. What is the ratio of width to height of the blackboard?

Question

Homi · Accepted Answer

We will measure the blackboard. Then we find the ratio of its width to height.

Step 1 — Measure Blackboard Dimensions

Let us imagine we are in a classroom. We use a measuring tape for dimensions. We measure the width of the blackboard.

$\boxed{\text{Width of blackboard} = \textbf{240 cm}}$

We then measure the height of the blackboard.

$\boxed{\text{Height of blackboard} = \textbf{120 cm}}$

Diagram 1

Step 2 — Calculate the Ratio

A ratio compares two quantities of the same kind. We want to find the ratio of the width to the height. Let W be the width and H be the height.

$\text{Ratio} = \text{W} : \text{H}$

$\text{Ratio} = 240 : 120$

To simplify, we divide both numbers by their greatest common factor. Both 240 and 120 are divisible by 120.

$240 \div 120 = 2$

$120 \div 120 = 1$

So, the simplified ratio is:

$\text{Ratio} = 2 : 1$

$\boxed{\text{Ratio of Width to Height} = \textbf{2 : 1}}$

(i) Width of blackboard: 240 cm (ii) Height of blackboard: 120 cm (iii) Ratio of width to height: 2 : 1

Question 6