🚀 Middle School
| ICSE • Mathematics

Comparing Quantities

Ratios, percentage.

1 Lesson 1 MCQ 1 Mnemonic
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Lesson

Comparing Quantities — Lesson

1) Hook — A Fun Real-Life Story to Grab Attention

Imagine you are at a cricket match watching your favourite team, India, play against Australia. Virat Kohli scores 75 runs in 60 balls, while Steve Smith scores 90 runs in 80 balls. Who scored more efficiently? How do you compare their performances fairly? This is where comparing quantities helps us understand not just who scored more, but who played better relative to the balls faced.

2) Core Concepts — Understanding Comparing Quantities

When we compare two quantities, we want to find out how much one quantity is in relation to the other. This can be done in three main ways:

  • Difference: How much more or less one quantity is compared to another.
  • Ratio: The relative size of two quantities expressed as a fraction or colon.
  • Percentage: Expressing one quantity as a part of 100 to easily compare.

Let's look at an example from Bollywood box office collections:

Movie Box Office Collection (in crores)
Movie A 150
Movie B 120

Difference: Movie A earned 150 - 120 = 30 crores more than Movie B.

Ratio: The ratio of Movie A to Movie B collections is 150 : 120, which simplifies to 5 : 4.

Percentage: Movie A earned (150/120) × 100 = 125% of Movie B's collection, meaning it earned 25% more.

3) Key Formulas / Rules

Difference = Larger quantity − Smaller quantity

Ratio = Quantity 1 : Quantity 2 (simplify by dividing both by their HCF)

Percentage = (Quantity 1 / Quantity 2) × 100%

4) Did You Know?

In cricket, the famous "Strike Rate" is a practical example of comparing quantities. It is the number of runs scored per 100 balls faced — essentially a percentage that helps compare batsmen's scoring efficiency. For example, if a batsman scores 75 runs in 60 balls, his strike rate is (75/60) × 100 = 125%!

5) Exam Tips — Avoid These Common Mistakes

  • Don’t forget to simplify ratios. For example, 150 : 120 should be simplified to 5 : 4.
  • When calculating percentage, always divide the correct quantities. Remember, percentage compares one quantity to another, so order matters.
  • Check units carefully. Comparing quantities with different units (like kg and grams) requires conversion first.
  • Board exam pattern: Questions may ask you to find difference, ratio, or percentage increase/decrease between two quantities.
  • Practice word problems: Many questions are framed in real-life contexts like prices, population, marks, or cricket scores.
2
MCQ Practice

Comparing Quantities — Mcq

3
Memory Trick

Comparing Quantities — Mnemonic

Mnemonic 1: "C.R.I.C.K.E.T" for Comparing Quantities 🏏

  • C - Change (Find the difference)
  • R - Reference (Original quantity)
  • I - Increase or decrease?
  • C - Calculate (Difference ÷ Reference)
  • K - Keep it × 100 (to get percentage)
  • E - Express as %
  • T - Tell the story (Is it profit, loss, or growth?)

Remember: Just like a cricket match, compare the scores (quantities), find the difference, and celebrate the percentage win! 🏆

Mnemonic 2: Hindi Phrase - "अंक बढ़े या घटे, प्रतिशत से समझो बाते" 📊

Translation: "Whether numbers increase or decrease, understand the matter with percentage."

Use this rhyme to recall that when comparing quantities, always check if the value has gone up or down, then convert the change into a percentage for easy understanding.

Mnemonic 3: Funny Acronym "P.A.R.T.Y" for Percentage Change 🎉

  • P - Pick the two quantities
  • A - Arrange (Find difference)
  • R - Refer to original
  • T - Turn difference into fraction
  • Y - Yes! Multiply by 100 for %

Think of comparing quantities as a PARTY where you pick, arrange, refer, turn, and celebrate the percentage! 🎈

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