Mixing Colours
These exercises and activities are for students to use independently of the teacher to practice number properties
solve ratio problems
explain why the process of finding equivalent ratios is important when we compare ratios (question 3, exercise 1)
Proportions and Ratios, AP (Stage 8)
Prior knowledge
- Explain what a ratio is, and how it relates to a fraction
- Understand the importance of comparing like to like in mathematics
Background
This is a brief activity to support the mixing paint activity. The answers give a brief explanation of why the ratios need to be made equivalent before a comparison is made.
Note that students may come up with other ways of working out which mix gives the stronger colour, for example, 4:5 or 7:11 could be compared as fractions. The first has 4/9 or 44% blue, while the second has 7/18 or 39% blue – but this is getting tricky without a calculator (hint one third is 33.3%, so one eighteenth is about 5.5%).
Comments on the Exercises
Exercise 1
Asks students to show ratios on a number line and then determin the ratio with the highest red component.
Exercise 2
Asks students to determine from pairs of ratios which pair has the most blue, and then question 2 asks which pair has the more orange.
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| MixingColoursSheet.pdf | 16.46 KB |
| MixingColoursSheet.doc | 76.5 KB |
Similar Resources
Seed packets
These exercises and activities are for students to use independently of the teacher to practice number properties
Proportional Problems 1
These exercises, activities and games are designed for students to use independently or in small groups to practise number properties and problem solving. They may also be useful as training problems for teachers. Some involve investigation. These can be written up formally an investigation write up (see Related Resouces) so may become longer and more involved tasks with subsequent recording/reporting. Typically an exercise is a 10 to 15 minute activity. Allow students time to problem solve and discuss solutions.
The Right Gear
This is a level 5 number activity from the Figure It Out series. It relates to Stage 8 of the Number Framework.
Running Hot and Cold
This is a level 5 number activity from the Figure It Out series. It relates to Stage 8 of the Number Framework.
Astronomical Proportions
This is a level 5 number activity from the Figure It Out series. It relates to Stage 8 of the Number Framework.
