​Setting it up...

​You can use a table or chart for proportion problems. It is helpful to highlight the different types of numbers with different colors. As, you can see on the right, there are many different correct ways to set up a table or chart. This is just four correct ways of setting it up.

​You can use tables or proportions.

​Here are the same 4 examples written as proportions instead of in a table.

​With so many different ways to set up the problem, how do we know if we have set it up correctly?

​You need to check two things.

​First...

​The same types of numbers should be together. In our examples all of the numbers for miles are green and all of the numbers for hours are orange. You can see that the green numbers are always beside each other or above/below each other. The orange numbers are always together too

​Second...

​You need to make sure that the numbers that are in the same sentence are together. In our example it says Harry walked 20 miles in 5 hours. So, 20 and 5 should be beside each other or above/below each other.