Understanding Ratios: How to Write, Simplify, and Compare Quantities

Sheena Doria

This educational video serves as a comprehensive introduction to the mathematical concept of ratios, targeted primarily at upper elementary and middle school students. Hosted by an animated teacher avatar, the video uses clear visual aids like fruits, donuts, and text overlays to demystify how we compare quantities. It begins by defining a ratio and demonstrating the three standard methods of notation: word form, colon form, and fraction form. The content progresses from basic definitions to more complex procedures, specifically focusing on how to simplify ratios to their lowest terms using the Greatest Common Factor (GCF) and how to generate equivalent ratios through multiplication. The video provides step-by-step walkthroughs of finding equivalent ratios using visual models (drinks vs. donuts) and numerical methods. Finally, the video applies these concepts to real-world word problems, such as calculating student-to-classroom and student-to-bus ratios. This application demonstrates the practical utility of unit rates (simplifying to a denominator of 1). Teachers can use this video to introduce the unit on ratios, review simplifying fractions, or as a visual aid for visual learners struggling with the abstract concept of comparison.