How can you understand porportions

A proportion is a statement that two ratios are equal.  A ratio is a comparison of two different quantities.  "Miles per hour" is a ratio.  "Dollars per pound" is a ratio.  A proportion is that two of these things are equal.

For example, paying $2/pound for apples is the same as paying $6 for 3 pounds:

That's a portion.

When working with proportions in word problems, you start by setting up one ratio/fraction where you know all the information.  You then set up the second one that's missing a piece of information, but you make sure to set it up using the same structure.

If your first ratio is "miles over hours," then the next ratio has to have the same organization.

If your first ratio is "rise over run," then the next ratio has to have the same organization.

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step-by-step explanation:

a drawing really does here:

so i draw the horizontal line y=2 and the vertical line x=-2 at this intersection i put b (this is where my right angle is going to be).   so point b is at (-2,2).   point a is 5 units long and is also on y=2 so this point has to be (3,2) or (-7,2) -doesn't matter i will go with (3,2).

now we know c is at (-2,y) we don't know the y yet bet we know that c is on x=-2.

we have the area of the triangle is .5bh=12.5

we know the base length is 5 (ab)

we have the height is (2-y) if you look at your

plug in

.5(5)(2-y)=12.5

solve for y to get the y-coordinate for c

2.5(2-y)=12.5

divide both sides by 2.5 giving:

2-y=5

now subtract 2 on both sides

-y=3

y=-3