Question

If a 40 inch stick is divided in a 3:5 ratio, how long (in inches) is the shorter piece

Answer 1

3:5...added = 8

3/8(40 = 120/8 = 15 inches
5/8(40) = 200/8 = 25 inches

shorter piece is 15 inches

Answer 2

You would need to divide 40 by 5 to figure out how long each segment would be, each segment is 8 inches long, and there is 3 out of five segments so 3x8=24, the 3:5 ratio for 40 inches would be 24