🔢 Ratios 📚 Grade 4 ⏱ 6 min
Number Ratios: How Many Times Bigger
A ratio shows how many times bigger or smaller one number is than another — not the difference, but the multiple.
A ratio is division showing "how many times"
The ratio of 10 to 2 is 5 — because 10 is 5 times bigger than 2. Written as 10:2 or 10/2, the result is the same — 5.
💡 Difference from a gap: the gap between 10 and 2 is 8 (subtraction). The ratio of 10 to 2 is 5 (division). These answer different questions: "how much more" versus "how many times more."
Practice
Ratio of 12 to 3? (4, because 12÷3=4)
Ratio of 20 to 5? (4, because 20÷5=4)
FAQ
Why do ratios matter?
They prepare kids for proportions, percentages, and scale — middle school topics.