Lesson 1

Refresher

Recall that a ratio is a comparison between two things.

For example, suppose a mixed ball-hockey team has 3 female players on a team of 10. How can the number of female players on this team be represented?

There are a few ways to express this; however, the most common way is to write a ratio in a fractional form. Here are a few ratios to represent the number of female players:

• female players to all players:
• female players to male players:

A ratio can also be expressed as a percent or a decimal.

Recall that percent is a ratio represented out of 100. Therefore, if there are 100 players on the team and the ratio remained consistent, what percentage of players could you assume would be female?

Write the ratio as equivalent fractions, with x representing the number of female players out of 100.

Therefore, x = 3 × 10 or 30.

30% written as a decimal is simply “3 divided by 10” or “30 divided by 100” which equals 0.30.

In summary, the number of female players on this ball-hockey team can be expressed in the following ways.

Use the "Percent, Fractions, and Decimals" gizmo, as well as the following questions, to help you further develop your understanding in connecting percents, fractions, and decimals.

1. Adjust the grid size to be 10 by 10. (Drag the handle in the lower-right corner to change the size of the grid.)
2. In your notebook, make a table like the one shown.
   
   
    

   Number of Shaded Squares	Percent	Decimal	Fraction

3. In the first column, write down five random numbers between 0 and 100.
4. Using the gizmo, shade the number of squares that you have in row one of the table.
5. Complete the table by making note of its equivalent percent, decimal, and fraction as provided in the gizmo.
6. Can you think of some strategies that will help you quickly convert percent, decimals, and fractions without using the gizmo?

Go back to the Are You Ready? section and try the questions again. If you are still having difficulty, contact your teacher.