Ratio, Proportion and Rates of Change: Age 11-16

This is part of our collection of Short Problems.

You may also be interested in our longer problems on Ratio, Proportion and Rates of Change: Age 11-16.

We have put together a selection of these short problems as printable worksheets:

Printable worksheets: Age 11-14 ⭐   Printable worksheets: Age 11-14 ⭐⭐

Printable worksheet: Age 14-16 ⭐   Printable worksheets: Age 14-16 ⭐⭐   Printable worksheets: Age 14-16 ⭐⭐⭐

Printable worksheet solutions


  • Small pepper seedlings in turquoise pots.
    problem

    Three of a Kind

    Age
    11 to 14
    Challenge level
    1 out of 3

    How long is it between 5:55 and the next time all three digits on a digital clock are the same?

  • Small tomato seedlings in pink pots.
    problem

    Family Fortune

    Age
    11 to 14
    Challenge level
    1 out of 3

    If three brothers will get £20 more if they do not share their money with their sister, how much money is there?

  • Small pepper seedlings in orange pots.
    problem

    Eating Beans

    Age
    11 to 14
    Challenge level
    1 out of 3

    The Bean family are very particular about beans. At every meal all Beans eat some beans... At their last meal they ate 23 beans altogether. How many beans did Pa Bean eat?

  • Small pepper seedlings in turquoise pots.
    problem

    Flying Down Under

    Age
    11 to 14
    Challenge level
    1 out of 3

    Fred flew to Melbourne, Australia. What time was it in Melbourne when Fred's flight arrived?

  • Small pepper seedlings in turquoise pots.
    problem

    Turbo Tortoise

    Age
    11 to 14
    Challenge level
    1 out of 3

    Harriet Hare and Turbo Tortoise want to cross the finish line together on their 12 mile race.... What time should Harriet set off?

  • Small pepper seedlings in turquoise pots.
    problem

    Minutes in Between

    Age
    11 to 14
    Challenge level
    1 out of 3

    How many minutes are there between 11:41 and 14:02?

  • Small tomato seedlings in pink pots.
    problem

    Flapjack

    Age
    11 to 14
    Challenge level
    1 out of 3

    A recipe for flapjacks calls for a certain quantity of butter, sugar and oats. Given the amount of these ingredients I have, how many flapjacks can I make?

  • Small pepper seedlings in turquoise pots.
    problem

    Roman Distances

    Age
    11 to 14
    Challenge level
    1 out of 3

    Marcus' atrium was a square with each side 50 pedes long. How many times did Marcus have to walk round his atrium to complete his daily exercise of 8 stadia?

  • Small pepper seedlings in turquoise pots.
    problem

    Thunder and Lightning

    Age
    11 to 14
    Challenge level
    1 out of 3

    How far away was the lightning if the flash and the thunderclap were 6 seconds apart?

  • Small pepper seedlings in turquoise pots.
    problem

    Race Time

    Age
    11 to 14
    Challenge level
    1 out of 3

    Frank and Gabriel competed in a 200m race. Interpret the different units used for their times to work out who won.

  • Small pepper seedlings in turquoise pots.
    problem

    Dean's Mountain

    Age
    11 to 14
    Challenge level
    1 out of 3

    Dean runs down the mountain at 12 km per hour. How long does it take him to run down the mountain?

  • Small tomato seedlings in pink pots.
    problem

    Printer Ink

    Age
    11 to 14
    Challenge level
    1 out of 3

    A small ink cartridge has enough ink to print 600 pages. How many pages can be printed using a large ink cartridge?

  • Small tomato seedlings in pink pots.
    problem

    A Classy Ratio

    Age
    11 to 14
    Challenge level
    1 out of 3

    There are six more girls than boys in Miss Spelling's class of 24 pupils. What is the ratio of girls to boys in the class?

  • Small tomato seedlings in pink pots.
    problem

    Athletics Club

    Age
    11 to 14
    Challenge level
    1 out of 3

    An athletics club has girl, boy and adult members. How many members does the club have?

  • Small tomato seedlings in pink pots.
    problem

    24 Hour Conundrum

    Age
    11 to 14
    Challenge level
    1 out of 3

    It is 225 minutes until midnight. What time is it on a 24-hour digital clock?

  • Small pepper seedlings in orange pots.
    problem

    Brothers and Sisters

    Age
    11 to 14
    Challenge level
    1 out of 3

    Can you work out how many brothers and sisters are in the family?

  • Small pepper seedlings in turquoise pots.
    problem

    Speed Over a Bridge

    Age
    11 to 14
    Challenge level
    1 out of 3

    How fast is the train travelling as it goes over the bridge?

  • Small tomato seedlings in pink pots.
    problem

    Draining a Pool

    Age
    11 to 14
    Challenge level
    1 out of 3

    The water is being drained from a pool. After how long will the depth of the pool be 144 cm?

  • Small tomato seedlings in pink pots.
    problem

    Off the Cuff

    Age
    11 to 14
    Challenge level
    2 out of 3

    Can you work out the ratio of shirt types made by a factory, if you know the ratio of button types used?

  • Small tomato seedlings in pink pots.
    problem

    A Leg to Stand On

    Age
    11 to 14
    Challenge level
    2 out of 3

    Can you work out the number of chairs at a cafe from the number of legs?

  • Small tomato seedlings in pink pots.
    problem

    Out of Sync

    Age
    11 to 14
    Challenge level
    2 out of 3

    Albert Einstein could see two clocks which were out of sync. For what fraction of the day did they show the same time?

  • Small pepper seedlings in turquoise pots.
    problem

    Decimal Clock

    Age
    11 to 14
    Challenge level
    2 out of 3

    A decimal clock is started at midnight. What time would it show at 6 o'clock in the morning?

  • Small pepper seedlings in turquoise pots.
    problem

    Stair Climb

    Age
    11 to 14
    Challenge level
    2 out of 3

    Three people run up stairs at different rates. If they each start from a different point - who will win, come second and come last?

  • Small tomato seedlings in pink pots.
    problem

    Tyre Wear

    Age
    11 to 14
    Challenge level
    2 out of 3

    A car with 5 tyres (four road tyres and a spare) travelled 30,000 km. All 5 tyres were used equally. How many kilometres' wear did each tyre receive?

  • Small pepper seedlings in turquoise pots.
    problem

    Don't Be Late

    Age
    11 to 14
    Challenge level
    2 out of 3

    Mary is driving to Birmingham Airport. Using her average speed for the entire journey, find how long her journey took.

  • Small tomato seedlings in pink pots.
    problem

    Sharing Sweets

    Age
    11 to 14
    Challenge level
    2 out of 3

    Maria and Lucy spun a coin 30 times, and gave each other sweets depending on the outcome of the spin. How many times was tails spun?

  • Small tomato seedlings in pink pots.
    problem

    How Many Swimmers?

    Age
    11 to 14
    Challenge level
    2 out of 3

    Given the ratios of junior to senior and senior to veteran members, can you work out what the smallest possible number of members in a swimming club is?

  • Small tomato seedlings in pink pots.
    problem

    Fruit Basket Ratio

    Age
    11 to 14
    Challenge level
    2 out of 3

    From two ratios of apples and oranges in a fruit bowl, can you work out how many fruits there are?

  • Small pepper seedlings in turquoise pots.
    problem

    Leg It

    Age
    11 to 14
    Challenge level
    2 out of 3

    How far from the finishing line should these runners start to make the race 'fair'?

  • Small tomato seedlings in pink pots.
    problem

    Musical Maths

    Age
    11 to 14
    Challenge level
    2 out of 3

    Approximately how long is five hundred and twenty five thousand six hundred minutes?

  • Small tomato seedlings in pink pots.
    problem

    Ratio Swap

    Age
    11 to 14
    Challenge level
    2 out of 3

    How many adults would need to join this group of people to reverse this ratio?

  • Small tomato seedlings in pink pots.
    problem

    The Elephant Diet

    Age
    11 to 14
    Challenge level
    2 out of 3

    Use the relationship between the elephant and the rabbit to find out how many carrots the rabbit eats in a day

  • Small pepper seedlings in turquoise pots.
    problem

    Revolutions

    Age
    11 to 14
    Challenge level
    3 out of 3

    Jack and Jill run at different speeds in opposite directions around the maypole. How many times do they pass in the first minute?

  • Small tomato seedlings in pink pots.
    problem

    Washing Elephants

    Age
    11 to 14
    Challenge level
    3 out of 3

    How long will it take Mary and Nigel to wash an elephant if they work together?

  • Small pepper seedlings in turquoise pots.
    problem

    Tummy Ache

    Age
    14 to 16
    Challenge level
    1 out of 3

    Timmy, Tammy and Tommy all go to the doctors. In what order do they arrive at the surgery?

  • Small pepper seedlings in turquoise pots.
    problem

    Caught in the Web

    Age
    14 to 16
    Challenge level
    1 out of 3

    Can you estimate the mass of insects caught by spiders in the UK each year?

  • Small tomato seedlings in pink pots.
    problem

    Honey Bees

    Age
    14 to 16
    Challenge level
    1 out of 3

    How many bees could fly 1000 miles if they had 10 gallons of honey?

  • Small pepper seedlings in turquoise pots.
    problem

    Hiking the Hill

    Age
    14 to 16
    Challenge level
    1 out of 3

    Sarah's average speed for a journey was 2 mph, and her return average speed was 4 mph. What is her average speed for the whole journey?

  • Small pepper seedlings in turquoise pots.
    problem

    The London Eye

    Age
    14 to 16
    Challenge level
    1 out of 3

    The 80 spokes of The London Eye are made from 4 miles of cable. What is the approximate circumference of the wheel?

  • Small pepper seedlings in turquoise pots.
    problem

    Bike Shop

    Age
    14 to 16
    Challenge level
    2 out of 3

    If I walk to the bike shop, but then cycle back, what is my average speed?

  • Small tomato seedlings in pink pots.
    problem

    Ratio Riddle

    Age
    14 to 16
    Challenge level
    2 out of 3

    Can you work out the ratio b:c given the ratios a:b and a:c?

  • Small pepper seedlings in turquoise pots.
    problem

    Tyneside Average Speed

    Age
    14 to 16
    Challenge level
    2 out of 3

    Can you work out the average speed of the van?

  • Small tomato seedlings in pink pots.
    problem

    Antifreeze

    Age
    14 to 16
    Challenge level
    2 out of 3

    How much more antifreeze is needed to make the proportion 30%?

  • Small pepper seedlings in turquoise pots.
    problem

    Platinum Puzzle

    Age
    14 to 16
    Challenge level
    2 out of 3

    What is the approximate total volume of platinum that has ever been produced?

  • Small pepper seedlings in turquoise pots.
    problem

    Walking in the Mountains

    Age
    14 to 16
    Challenge level
    2 out of 3

    Heidi and Peter pass two signs which say how far their destination is. How long will it take them to get there?

  • Small tomato seedlings in pink pots.
    problem

    Shepherd's Flock

    Age
    14 to 16
    Challenge level
    2 out of 3

    Does Joseph have too many sheep in his flock...

  • Small pepper seedlings in turquoise pots.
    problem

    Overtake

    Age
    14 to 16
    Challenge level
    2 out of 3

    Tom and Tim are travelling towards Glasgow, but leave at different times. If Tim overtakes Tom, how fast is he travelling?

  • Small pepper seedlings in turquoise pots.
    problem

    Travelling by Train

    Age
    14 to 16
    Challenge level
    2 out of 3

    Stephen stops at Darlington on his way to Durham. At what time does he arrive at Durham?

  • Small pepper seedlings in turquoise pots.
    problem

    Hillwalking

    Age
    14 to 16
    Challenge level
    2 out of 3

    Andrew walks along a flat path, then up and down a hill, then back along the path. Is it possible to work out how far he has walked?

  • Small pepper seedlings in turquoise pots.
    problem

    Very Long Line

    Age
    14 to 16
    Challenge level
    2 out of 3

    If the line on the right were 0.2mm thick, how long would it need to be to cover an area of one square metre?

  • Small pepper seedlings in turquoise pots.
    problem

    Travelator

    Age
    14 to 16
    Challenge level
    2 out of 3

    When Andrew arrives at the end of the walkway, how far is he ahead of Bill?

  • Small tomato seedlings in pink pots.
    problem

    Crude Calculation

    Age
    14 to 16
    Challenge level
    2 out of 3

    Louise has noticed that the price of petrol has changed. Can you work out the percentage that it has increased by?

  • Small tomato seedlings in pink pots.
    problem

    Pond Runners

    Age
    14 to 16
    Challenge level
    2 out of 3

    Can you work out how much time it will be before Katherine laps James around the pond?

  • Small pepper seedlings in turquoise pots.
    problem

    Inches and Barleycorns

    Age
    14 to 16
    Challenge level
    2 out of 3

    How many barleycorns are there in one inch?

  • Small tomato seedlings in pink pots.
    problem

    Dolly Dolphin

    Age
    14 to 16
    Challenge level
    2 out of 3

    Can you find Dolly Dolphin's average speed as she swims with and against the current?

  • Small pepper seedlings in turquoise pots.
    problem

    Televisual Technology

    Age
    14 to 16
    Challenge level
    3 out of 3

    If a new and an old television have screens of the same area, what is the ratio of their widths?

  • Small tomato seedlings in pink pots.
    problem

    Marathon Mission

    Age
    14 to 16
    Challenge level
    3 out of 3

    Minnie trained more for the London Marathon this year, so her speed increased. By what percentage did her time decrease?

  • Small tomato seedlings in pink pots.
    problem

    Flower Show

    Age
    14 to 16
    Challenge level
    3 out of 3

    How long will it take six gardeners to dig six circular flower beds?

  • Small pepper seedlings in turquoise pots.
    problem

    Traffic Jam

    Age
    14 to 16
    Challenge level
    3 out of 3

    Emily's journey home took 25% longer than usual. By what percentage was her average speed reduced?

  • Small pepper seedlings in turquoise pots.
    problem

    Late for Work

    Age
    14 to 16
    Challenge level
    3 out of 3

    What average speed should Ms Fanthorpe drive at to arrive at work on time?