A bag contains 6 nickels and 14 pennies. What is the ratio, written in lowest terms, of nickels to the total number of coins in the bag?

A ratio is written like it says like if there are 2 pennies and 5 quarters, if you were to make a ratio out of that, then the ratio is 2:5

The amount of nickels is 6 and the total number of coins is 20

So this ratio would be 6:20 or 6/20 or 6 to 20, however you want to write it

When the problem asks the lowest terms, it means the simplest ratio where you cannot simplify the ratio any further like 1:2 is simplified but 2:8 isn't simplified because you can reduce 2:8 into 1:4

First, you must find the GCF (otherwised known as greatest common factor)

This can be confused with LCM

The GCF is no more than the smallest number

The LCM is no less than your greatest number

If you can't get the GCF of a ratio, then that ratio is simplified and can no longer be simplified.

So the GCF of 6 and 20 is 2

You need to divide both numbers by the GCF and you will get

3:10

The ratio from nickels to pennies is 3 nickels / 10 coins

This is how I learned it in school and I know some methods are probably easier than this one.

There are 6 nickels and 14 pennies.

There are 20 total coins.

The ratio of nickels to coins is 6:20.

Both of these are divisible by 2, so we can reduce this to 3:10.