Solving Word Problems with Ratios and Proportions Worksheet

Set up a proportion to solve each problem, show all work, and label all answers.

Problem 1 :

If a jogger runs 2 miles and burns 185 calories, how many calories would he burn jogging 3 miles?

Solution

Problem 2 :

The ratio of the cost of a tennis racket to tennis balls is 18 : 1. If a can of balls cost $5.35, what is the cost of the racket?

Solution

Problem 3 :

Curtis School has 1,575 students. The student to teacher ratio is 15 to 1. How many teachers are at Curtis School?

Solution

Problem 4 :

A recipe calls for 2 1/2 cups of flour to make 2 dozen cookies. How many cups of flour would be required to bake 15 dozen cookies?

Solution

Problem 5 :

A meteorologist reports that the ratio of snowfall in January to total snowfall during the average winter is 2 to 5. If 34 inches have fallen in January of the current year, find the predicted total snowfall for the entire winter.

Solution

Problem 6 :

Because of slumping sales, a small company had to lay off some of its employees. The ratio of total employees to employees laid off is 5 to 1. Find the total number of employees if 22 are laid off.

Solution

Problem 7 :

A crew of loggers cleared 1/2 acre of lumber in 4 days. How long will it take the same crew to clear 2 3/4 acres of lumber?

Solution

Problem 8 :

A person who weighs 200 pounds on earth would weigh about 32 pounds on the moon. Find the weight of a person on Earth who would weigh 15 pounds of the moon.

Solution

Problem 9 :

A pump can fill a 750-gallon tank in 35 minutes. How long will it take to fill a 1000-gallon tank with this same pump?

Solution

Problem 10 :

In a public opinion poll, 624 people from a sample of 1,100 indicated they would vote for a specific candidate. How many votes can the candidate expect to receive from a population of 40,000?

Solution