Answer:
6 black pieces
10 red pieces
Step-by-step explanation:
The way to interpret ratios is like so:
Adding up both parts of the ratio gives 8, i.e. 3 + 5
So for every 8 pieces, 3 are black and 5 are red;
There are 16 pieces, which is 2 × 8;
So, there are (2 × 3) black pieces and (2 × 5) red pieces, i.e. 6 black and 10 red
So, to solve:
Add all parts of the ratio (3 + 5);
Divide the number of pieces (16) by this sum of ratio parts (8);
Multiply the value from the division (2) by each part of the ratio
Tip:
It is important to take note of the order in the ratio, so the ratio of black to red means the number that comes first in the ratio represents parts black and the one that comes second represents parts red;
If the wording was the ratio of red to black, the number that comes first would represent parts red and the second would represent parts black