There are 12 boys and 16 girls in a classroom. Which represents the simplified ratio of girls to students in the classroom?

Question

3 to 4
4 to 3
4 to 7
7 to 4

Answer 1

To find the simplified ratio of girls to students in the classroom, you first need to determine the total number of students.

The total number of students is: \[ 12 \text{ (boys)} + 16 \text{ (girls)} = 28 \text{ (students)} \]

Now, the ratio of girls to students is: \[ \text{Number of girls} : \text{Total number of students} = 16 : 28 \]

Next, we can simplify this ratio. To do this, we can divide both sides by the greatest common divisor (GCD) of 16 and 28. The GCD of 16 and 28 is 4.

So we divide both numbers by 4: \[ \frac{16}{4} : \frac{28}{4} = 4 : 7 \]

Therefore, the simplified ratio of girls to students in the classroom is: \[ \boxed{4 \text{ to } 7} \]