P5 Math Problem Sum: Finding Value from Ratio of Quantities

Solving problem sums where you are to find the value when provided information on the ratio of the quantity of 2 (or more) items

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Mathematics | P5, PSLE | Problem Sums | Finding Value from Ratio of Quantities

Improve your Math results by learning the step-by-step algorithm to solve problem sums where you are to find the value when provided information on the ratio of the quantity of 2 (or more) items.

How To Identify Such Problems

Such problems will typically have all of the following:

1. Involves 2 items

2. The quantity ratio between the 2 items is given

3. The value a unit of each item is given

4. The total value of all the items is given, or the total value of one of the items is given.

5. Need to solve for the value of a specific item.

*Don’t worry if you don’t fully understand above at this point. Use the following example to help you with your understanding. Come back here again after you have gone through the rest of the tip.

An Example Problem

Jason has some coins worth a total of $37.20. Given that the ratio of the number of 50-cent coins to the number of 20-cent coins is 5 : 3, find the total value of his 50-cent coins.  

Breaking Down the Example Problem

• The items involved: 

  • 50-cent coins (50¢)

  • 20-cent coins (20¢)

• The quantity ratio:  

  • 50¢ : 20¢ = 5 : 3

• Value of a unit of each item: 

  • The value of the coin type

• Problem to solve: Total value of 50-cent coins = ? 

General Technique To Use

You can follow the following steps to solve such problems:

1. Clearly write down the quantity ratio of the items

2. Write down the value of 1 quantity of each item

3. Calculate the ratio of the total value of the items

4. Use the given information on the value to calculate the value of each unit

5. Solve the question

*Don’t worry if you don’t fully understand the above. Use the following example to help you with your understanding. Come back here again after you have gone through the step-by-step solution of the example problem.

Solving the Example Problem (Step-By-Step Guide)

Step-By-Step Solution to a typical question for problem sums where you are to find the value when provided information on the ratio of the quantity of 2 (or more) items.

Problem:
Jason has some coins worth a total of $37.20. Given that the ratio of the number of 50-cent coins to the number of 20-cent coins is 5 : 3, find the total value of his 50-cent coins. 

More Similar Problems

1. Jason has some coins worth a total of $37.20. Given that the ratio of the number of 50-cent coins to the number of 20-cent coins is 5 : 3, find the total value of his 20-cent coins.   (Hint: This is a slight variation from the example problem)

2. Jason sold some stickers. He sold two types of stickers, soccer and basketball. The ratio of the soccer sticker to basketball stockers is 5 : 7. The value of each soccer sticker is $1 while the basketball sticker is $2. Given that he managed to collect $84 for his basketball stickers, how much did he collect in total?