There are 12 boys in Mr. Gibbs's class. If he has 28 students in his class, what is the ratio of girls to total students?

Answer 1

First, write down what you know:

1. Number of Boys = 12
2. Total Number of Students = 28

Second, we can assume that the students who are not boys in the class must be girls. To find the number of girls, we subtract the number of boys from the total number of students:

28 students - 12 boys = 16 girls

*** Check: 16 +12 = 28

Third, we write the number of girls to total students as a ratio:

16 girls to 28 students or 16 to 28 or 16:28

(Note: You cannot write 28 to 16 because the question asks for girls to students, so 28 to 16 would mean that there are 28 girls and 16 students.)