Understand Unit Rates

Students learn that a unit rate is the ratio a/b expressed as the value a per 1 unit of b. They compute unit rates from given ratios and interpret the meaning of the unit rate in context, such as miles per hour or cost per item.

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Grade 6 · Ratios and Rates · question 1 of 3

0 of 20

20 rungs. A star at the top.

10 ÷ 4 =

How it is taught

0:00 of 3:25

A unit rate is the amount for one.

Divide so the second quantity is 1.

Read it: The rate for 1

24 beats in 6 seconds is a tape of 24 cut into 6 equal parts, 1 for each second. 1 part is 24 ÷ 6 = 4: 4 beats per second.

Cut the total into equal parts, 1 for each unit: 6 parts for 6 seconds.
Share the total over the parts: 24 ÷ 6.
Name the rate for 1: 4 beats per second.

Each part holds the same amount, so 1 part is the amount for 1 second.

A unit rate makes any time easy: 4 beats each second, for as many seconds as you like.

The first word of the rate says what is shared: beats per second is beats ÷ seconds.

A unit rate is the amount for 1: the total ÷ the number of equal parts.

Dividing 6 by 24 and writing 0.25 beats per second.

Beats per second shares the beats over the seconds: 24 ÷ 6 = 4.

7 ÷ 2 = ___ — 3.5. 7 cut into 2 equal parts is 3.5 a part: the amount for 1.

150 miles in 3 hours → miles per hour

A car drives one hundred fifty miles in three hours. How many miles does it go in just one hour?

We can write this as a ratio — one hundred fifty miles for every three hours.

A unit rate tells us how much for just one hour. So we want a one on the bottom.

To turn the three into a one, we divide by three. We have to divide the top by three too, so the ratio stays fair.

One hundred fifty divided by three is fifty.

And three divided by three is one.

Our unit rate is fifty over one — that means fifty miles for every one hour.

Grade 6 · Finding the rate per 1 unit

So the car's unit rate is fifty miles per hour. That's the value of the ratio when the bottom is one!

What you see

While they climb, your page writes one true line to ask about tonight, and a short note each Sunday.

MayaGrade 3 · Mathematics

Did you know?

A chessboard has 64 squares — share them out between the 8 rows and each row holds exactly 8.

Today’s goal: 1 star — one skill mastered, every rung of its ladder climbed
Climbing now: Divide within 100

An example student.

MayaGrade 3 · Mathematics

Maya earned 2 stars this week — Interpret multiplication as equal groups, which took 6 answers over 3 days before its star landed 3 days ago and Multiply by 6, 7, 8 and 9. Next up: Divide within 100.

An example week.

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