Mathematics Ratio & Proportionusually ages 11–14

Compound Units

Use compound units such as speed (distance ÷ time), unit pricing (cost ÷ quantity), and density (mass ÷ volume); solve problems involving compound units

How to tell they’ve got it

Tick these off as you see them — no test required.

Calculate average speed given distance and time, converting between km/h and m/s if needed
Compare unit prices of two products sold in different quantities to find the better deal
Use the density formula to find mass, volume, or density given the other two values

🖨 Print this page to keep the checklist — it prints beautifully.

Try this together

If a car travels 150 miles in 2.5 hours, can your child work out its average speed — and use the same idea to solve problems about price per kilogram or density of a material?

Where this sits on the map

Stuck here? Check the skills it builds on first. Confident? Here’s what it unlocks.

Builds on

Proportional Reasoning Vocabularyages 11–14Compound units (speed, density) require 'compound unit', 'rate', 'speed', and 'density' as named and defined vocabulary

Unit Conversionsages 11–12Compound units require confident unit conversion (e.g. km/h to m/s)

Proportionages 12–14Speed, density, and unit pricing are applications of direct/inverse proportion

Proportion Graphsages 11–14Compound units like speed and density involve proportional relationships visible on proportion graphs

Simple formulaeages 12–14Rearranging compound unit formulae (speed = distance/time) uses formula rearrangement skills

Compound Unitsthis skill · ages 11–14

Unlocks

Reading Distance-Time Graphsages 10–13Interpreting distance–time graphs requires understanding compound units such as metres per second or km/h

Speed & Distance-Time Graphsages 11–12Calculating speed as distance ÷ time applies compound-unit thinking from Math

solid = must come firstdashed = helps

Curriculum alignment

Candidate matches to official curriculum codes — machine-suggested, unreviewed (v0.1).

Show candidate curriculum codes · 3 ACARA · 2 NSW · 2 VIC

Australian Curriculum v9 candidate

AC9M5M01medium confidenceYear 5 · Measurement

choose appropriate metric units when measuring the length, mass and capacity of objects; use smaller units or a combination of units to obtain a more accurate measure

AC9M6M01medium confidenceYear 6 · Measurement

convert between common metric units of length, mass and capacity; choose and use decimal representations of metric measurements relevant to the context of a problem

AC9M5N09low confidenceYear 5 · Number

use mathematical modelling to solve practical problems involving additive and multiplicative situations including financial contexts; formulate the problems, choosing operations and efficient calculation strategies, using digital tools where appropriate; interpret and communicate solutions in terms of the situation

NSW syllabus codes & stages only

MA3-3DS-02low confidenceMathematics K-10 · Stage 3

MA3-GM-02low confidenceMathematics K-10 · Stage 3

Victorian Curriculum 2.0 codes & levels only

VC2M6M01medium confidenceMathematics · Level 6 · Measurement strand

VC2M5M01medium confidenceMathematics · Level 5 · Measurement strand

These are candidate alignments generated by semantic matching — machine-suggested and unreviewed (v0.1), not official or verified mappings. For official curriculum content see australiancurriculum.edu.au, curriculum.nsw.edu.au and f10.vcaa.vic.edu.au. Don’t rely on them for registration or compliance purposes.

Nearby on the map

Dividing Quantities by Ratioages 11–13 One Quantity as a Fractionages 11–12 Percentages as Fractionsages 11–13 Proportion Graphsages 11–14

All Ratio & Proportion skills →