Quotient of two numbers

[tacook]

I understand that a quotient is the answer of two numbers divided however, I am not sure exactly which numbers this word problem is asking for.
At Dr. Carter's dental office, 6 out of every 10 patients in the waiting room are there for a check-up and cleaning. Represent the part of Dr. Carter's patients who are waiting for a check-up and cleaning as a quotient of two numbers and as a decimal.
Any help in the right direction in appreciated.

 

[Deleted member 4993]

I understand that a quotient is the answer of two numbers divided however, I am not sure exactly which numbers this word problem is asking for.
At Dr. Carter's dental office, 6 out of every 10 patients in the waiting room are there for a check-up and cleaning. Represent the part of Dr. Carter's patients who are waiting for a check-up and cleaning as a quotient of two numbers and as a decimal.
Any help in the right direction in appreciated.

You are given a ratio

6 out of every 10 patients

What is this ratio talking about?

 

[Dr.Peterson]

I understand that a quotient is the answer of two numbers divided however, I am not sure exactly which numbers this word problem is asking for.
At Dr. Carter's dental office, 6 out of every 10 patients in the waiting room are there for a check-up and cleaning. Represent the part of Dr. Carter's patients who are waiting for a check-up and cleaning as a quotient of two numbers and as a decimal.
Any help in the right direction in appreciated.

They mean to write the answer first as a fraction, and then as a decimal.

What fraction represents 6 out of 10?

 

[tacook]

6/10 = 3/5 = 0.6
Are they just asking to simplify the fraction then divide to receive the decimal answer?

 

[Dr.Peterson]

6/10 = 3/5 = 0.6
Are they just asking to simplify the fraction then divide to receive the decimal answer?

You can do that. Or, more directly, you can just see that 0.6 means 6 tenths (a 6 in the tenths place).

They don't specify how, just what. And what a fraction is, is a quotient of two numbers, written as such (one over the other) rather than carried out.

But they don't ask you to simplify, just to write it as a fraction, which would be 6/10. Simplifying is extra. And then they ask you to write it as a decimal, which again doesn't require any work.

 

[Otis]

In case teacher has been stressing "always write fractions in lowest terms" or something like that, one could answer with both:

6/10 = 3/5 = 0.6

6/10 (3 out of 5) = 0.6

3/5 (6 out of 10) = 0.6

Maybe impress teacher:

6/10 = 3/5 = 0.6 = 60%