Define 'proportion' in mathematical terms.

Define 'proportion' in mathematical terms.

• A. The result of multiplying two numbers.
• B. A statement that two ratios are equal, or the relation of parts to a whole.
• C. The difference between two quantities.
• D. A measurement expressed in percentage.

Answer: (B)

A proportion is a statement that two ratios are equal, expressing a constant relationship between two quantities. It can be written as a/b = c/d, meaning the first ratio compares a to b in the same way the second compares c to d. This captures ideas like parts to a whole or two rates that share the same value. For example, if a recipe uses 2 cups of flour for 5 cups of other ingredients, that relationship can be set up as a proportion with another pair that maintains the same ratio. You can use proportions to solve for an unknown by cross-multiplying: if 2/5 = x/10, then 2×10 = 5×x, giving x = 4. The other options describe different concepts: a product comes from multiplying, a difference comes from subtraction, and a percentage is a way to express part of a whole but does not by itself define a proportion.

A proportion is a statement that two ratios are equal, expressing a constant relationship between two quantities. It can be written as a/b = c/d, meaning the first ratio compares a to b in the same way the second compares c to d. This captures ideas like parts to a whole or two rates that share the same value. For example, if a recipe uses 2 cups of flour for 5 cups of other ingredients, that relationship can be set up as a proportion with another pair that maintains the same ratio. You can use proportions to solve for an unknown by cross-multiplying: if 2/5 = x/10, then 2×10 = 5×x, giving x = 4. The other options describe different concepts: a product comes from multiplying, a difference comes from subtraction, and a percentage is a way to express part of a whole but does not by itself define a proportion.