AMC8 2011 8, Problem 14

There are $270$ students at Colfax Middle School, where the ratio of boys to girls is $5 : 4$. There are $180$ students at Winthrop Middle School, where the ratio of boys to girls is $4 : 5$. The two schools hold a dance and all students from both schools attend. What fraction of the students at the dance are girls?

Solution: At Colfax Middle School, there are $\frac49 \times 270 = 120$ girls. At Winthrop Middle School, there are $\frac59 \times 180 = 100$ girls. The ratio of girls to the total number of students is $\frac{120+100}{270+180} = \frac{220}{450} = \fbox{\dfrac{22}{45}}$

Answer: \dfrac{22}{45}