Sharing in a ratio worksheets

Split a total the way a ratio says: 40 sweets shared 3 to 5 is not 20 and 20 but 15 and 25. These free printable worksheets give a total and a ratio and ask for one of the shares.

Kid stuck on one? You don’t just get the sheet.

Sharing in a ratio
Sharing in a ratio worksheet — Whole shares from a total, free printable with answer key

The answer key prints on a separate page.

What's on this sheet

The move a child skips is the first one: a ratio of 3 : 5 makes 3 + 5 = 8 equal parts, not two. Find how much one part is worth — the total divided by 8 — and each share is however many parts it has. Halving the total is the wrong answer these sheets are built to catch, so the two shares are never equal.

Why this sheet works

Asking for the larger or the smaller share on its own keeps the answer a single number, which is what lets the sheet be worked online as well as on paper. The full split is both shares together, and a child who can give the one asked for can give both.

How this one works

One question from this sheet, worked through a step at a time.

10 in 1 : 4, smaller share = 2

1 + 4=5 parts
10 ÷ 5=2
1 × 2=2
  1. The ratio 1 : 4 splits the total into 1 + 4 = 5 equal parts — not two.
  2. One part is the total shared into those 5: 10 ÷ 5 = 2.
  3. The smaller share takes 1 of those parts: 1 × 2 = 2.