Choosing the right quantity worksheets

One school has 450 students and the other has 1,200. Which is more crowded? These free printable worksheets ask which quantity would actually answer that — and on every question the answer is a rate and the three wrong ones are totals.

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Choosing the right quantity

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What's on this sheet

Before any calculation there is a choice: what to measure. Two groups of different sizes cannot be compared by a total, and the whole of this standard at this level is noticing that. A town with more recycling collected may simply be a bigger town; a road with more cars may simply be a longer road.

Why this sheet works

Every wrong option on this page is a real quantity the situation has — the number of students, the length of the road, the hours the clinic is open. None of them can be dismissed as irrelevant, which is the point: the only thing separating the right answer from the rest is that it divides by the size of the group.

Units and accuracyChoosing a quantity

Name: Date:

Circle the quantity that lets two different-sized groups be compared.

1Two schools have 280 students and 640 students. Which compares how crowded they are?students per classroomnumber of studentsnumber of teachersnumber of classrooms

2Two cities have 60,000 people and 180,000. Which compares how safe they are?crimes per 1,000 peoplenumber of crimesnumber of peoplenumber of police officers

3Two clinics open 30 hours a week and 60 hours. Which compares how busy they are?patients seenhours openpatients per hournumber of doctors

4Two roads are 3 miles and 9 miles long. Which compares how busy they are?cars per milenumber of carslength in milesnumber of exits

5Two farms cover 200 acres and 550 acres. Which compares what they grew?tons harvestedacres plantedtons per acrenumber of tractors

Units and accuracy · Choosing a quantityAnswer key

1. Two schools have 280 students and 640 students. → students per classroom2. Two cities have 60,000 people and 180,000. → crimes per 1,000 people3. Two clinics open 30 hours a week and 60 hours. → patients per hour4. Two roads are 3 miles and 9 miles long. → cars per mile5. Two farms cover 200 acres and 550 acres. → tons per acre

Choosing the right quantity worksheets

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