Kaplan Math Question

If 1 tic is 3 tacs (1 tic = 3 tacs) how can tic be smaller than tac as implied by your proportion of tic to tac as 1:3??? You got the translate english into math part of the question wrong. Try to write down everything you read into equation.

1 tic is 3 times tac means 1 Tic = 3 Tac so ratio of Tic to Tac is 3:1 not 1:3.

Proportions can also be read like payouts in bets. For example, a 2 to 1 bet on a horserace can be seen as 2/1. This means that if you put in 1 dollar and you win, you get 2 dollars (or 2 times your bet) plus your initial stake (3 dollars total). In this case, you know the payout of 1 tic is greater than 1 toc. Draw out the proportions to see 1 tic is 7.5 times 1 toc, or for to see it a different way 15 to 2. If the answer were 2/15 that means a toc is larger than a tic which is not true. It took a while for me to differentiate between conversion problems and proportion problems. Step back and ask yourself what the question is asking and does my final answer make sense. Also to save time, my book only has 2 answers that have the numerater (tic) greater than the denominator (toc). With process of elimination you have a 50% shot of getting this problem correct. Choose (A) 15/2 as opposed to (B) 6/5. The spread between 6/5 is too close so 15/2 is the better choice.