Lesson 1 introduces ratios and proportions. A ratio compares two or more quantities and can be written in fraction or colon form. Ratios can be simplified by dividing both quantities by their greatest common factor. Two ratios are equivalent if they can be expressed as the same simple ratio. A proportion is a statement of equality between two ratios. It involves setting the product of the means equal to the product of the extremes, where the extremes are the first and last terms and the means are the second and third terms. To solve a proportion, the ratios are set up as fractions, cross-multiplied, and then solved.