Certainly! Let's solve the problem step-by-step.
1. Identify the number of boys and girls:
- There are 16 boys.
- There are 20 girls.
2. Write the initial ratio:
The ratio of the number of boys to the number of girls can be written as:
\(\[
\frac{16}{20}
\]\)
3. Simplify the ratio:
To simplify the ratio, we need to find the greatest common divisor (GCD) of 16 and 20.
4. Determine the GCD:
- The factors of 16 are 1, 2, 4, 8, and 16.
- The factors of 20 are 1, 2, 4, 5, 10, and 20.
- The greatest common factor shared by both 16 and 20 is 4.
5. Divide both numbers by the GCD:
\(\[
\frac{16 \div 4}{20 \div 4} = \frac{4}{5}
\]\)
Therefore, the ratio of the number of boys to the number of girls, in its simplest form, is:
\(\[
4:5
\]\)
