Learn the 3-Step Method
1Read the colon as ‘for every’.
3 : 2 means ‘3 of the first FOR EVERY 2 of the second’.
2Keep the order of the words.
‘Red to blue’ puts red’s number first. Swap the words, swap the numbers.
3Scale the pattern up.
3 : 2 keeps repeating — 6 red with 4 blue, 9 red with 6 blue, all show 3 : 2.
Worked Example
In a fruit bowl there are 4 apples and 7 oranges.
Watch Out! Common Mistakes
Order! Apples were named first, so their number comes first: 4 : 7.
Not fixed amounts! 3 : 2 is a PATTERN — there could be 3 and 2, or 30 and 20. The ratio only fixes the relationship.
Careful! With 3 red for every 2 blue, reds are 3 out of every 5 counters: 3/5 (lesson R4).
⬇ Cheat Sheet
- a : b = 'a of the first for every b of the second'.
- Number order follows word order.
- The ratio is a repeating pattern, not fixed amounts.
- Total parts = add the ratio numbers.
📖 Continue Your Journey
Quick summary
- A ratio compares part to part: 3 : 2 means 3 of one for every 2 of the other.
- The number order follows the word order — red : blue ≠ blue : red.
- A ratio is a repeating pattern, not a pair of fixed amounts.
- Add the parts for the total: 3 : 2 → 5 parts.
Frequently asked questions
What does 3 : 2 mean?
Three of the first thing for every two of the second — a repeating pattern, so 6 and 4, or 30 and 20, also fit the ratio 3 : 2.
Does the order of a ratio matter?
Yes. Apples : oranges = 4 : 7 becomes 7 : 4 if you name oranges first — the numbers must follow the word order.
When do children learn ratio?
Ratio and proportion form a Year 6 strand in England and appear heavily in 11+ papers — usually as sharing and scaling problems.
Continue your child's learning journey
with the MindBlaze app.
Fun daily learning missions for children. Clear progress insights for parents — helping every child start secondary school ready to learn.
