A pet store sells mice in 2 colors: brown and white. If 3/5 of the mice are brown, the ratio of male mice to female mice is 2:1, and 1/2 of the female mice are white, then what is the ratio of the number of brown male mice to the number of white male mice?
To find the ratio of the number of brown male mice to white male mice, we need to consider the information given step by step.
Step 1: Determine the ratio of brown mice to white mice.
We know that 3/5 of the mice are brown, which means 2/5 must be white. Therefore, the ratio of brown mice to white mice is 3:2.
Step 2: Determine the ratio of female mice to male mice.
Given that the ratio of male mice to female mice is 2:1, we can conclude that for every 3 mice, 2 are male and 1 is female.
Step 3: Determine the ratio of white female mice to all female mice.
It is mentioned that 1/2 of the female mice are white. Therefore, half of the female mice are white, while the other half must be brown.
Step 4: Combine the ratios to find the ratio of brown male mice to white male mice.
From step 1, we found that the ratio of brown mice to white mice is 3:2.
From step 2, we know that the ratio of male mice to female mice is 2:1.
From step 3, we know that among the female mice, half are white.
Combining these ratios, we can determine the ratio of brown male to white male mice as follows:
- For every 5 mice, 3 are brown and 2 are white.
- For every 4 male mice, 2 are brown and 2 are white.
Therefore, the ratio of brown male mice to white male mice is 2:2, which simplifies to 1:1.