Rates
You've probably encountered rates before in your life. Rates can be tricky to understand at first. However, they can be very useful in expressing a number of real-world concepts. Let's find out more about rates:
What are rates?
Rates are numbers that express quantities in two different units. The basic rule of rates is that when you spell them out, they contain the word "per."
For example, you've probably heard of speed limits, and these are expressed in miles per hour. The two different units expressed here are time and distance.
If you go to the grocery store and try to purchase some bulk nuts, you might have noticed that the price is a rate based on weight. For example, you might see that peanuts are $3 per 250 grams.
Some rates do not contain the word per, as the relationship between two different units is already expressed with a new unit altogether.
For example, one "Hertz" equals 1 cycle per second. When we hear the word "Hertz," we already know that there is a relationship between cycles and time.
A Hertz is an example of a "unit rate." This is because this rate has been simplified so that it has a denominator of 1. In other words, 1 Hertz = 1 cycle/1 second.
We can express rates in a number of ways:
- Using units like Hertz
- Using fractions
- Spelling them out
Common rates in everyday life
Common rates you might have encountered in everyday life include:
- Hourly wages ($15 per hour)
- Interest rates (also expressed as a percentage)
- Birth rates
- Speed limits
- Odds (also expressed as ratios)
Topics related to the Rates
Flashcards covering the Rates
Common Core: 7th Grade Math Flashcards
Practice tests covering the Rates
MAP 7th Grade Math Practice Tests
Common Core: 7th Grade Math Diagnostic Tests
Help your student with rates by teaming them up with a qualified tutor
Varsity Tutors can pair your student with a qualified tutor. These 1-on-1 sessions let students take the time they need to carefully review concepts covered in class, such as rates. This extra review time might be all your student needs to become more confident in their abilities, especially if they have the opportunity to ask extra questions they never had a chance to raise in class. Reach out to our Educational Directors today to learn more about the possibilities offered by math tutoring.
