Question Determine whether the equation is a proportion: \( \frac{5}{12}=\frac{15}{36} \).

To determine if \( \frac{5}{12}=\frac{15}{36} \) is a proportion, we can cross-multiply. So, we compute \( 5 \times 36 \) and \( 12 \times 15 \). Calculating these gives us \( 180 \) for both sides: \( 5 \times 36 = 180 \) and \( 12 \times 15 = 180 \). Since both products are equal, we can conclude that the equation represents a true proportion! Now, let’s talk about proportions! Proportions are used everywhere—think recipes! If a cake recipe calls for 2 cups of flour to every 3 cups of sugar, you can maintain the same ratio if you decide to make a bigger cake, say using 4 cups of flour. Just multiply everything proportionally, and voilà! Your cake will taste just as sweet and balanced. Another easy way to check proportions is to simplify fractions. If both fractions simplify to the same value, then they’re proportional! For \( \frac{15}{36} \), dividing both the numerator and denominator by 3 gives \( \frac{5}{12} \). So, using simplification is a nifty trick to validate proportions effortlessly! Happy calculating!