Question

Sarah bought 5 apples and 8 oranges at the grocery store. Write the ratio of apples to oranges.

Answer 1

The ratio is denoted by the symbol ':' and we write it by putting the larger number first, then ':' and finally the lesser one.

In the case of our problem:

$8\colon5$

That's the answer to the question.

However, there are other ways to write the ratio. For example, as a fraction:

$\frac{8}{5}=1.6$

This means that for every apple, Sarah bought 1.6 oranges.