Of the 49 passengers on an airplane, 16 are men and the rest are women. What is the ratio of the number of male passengers to the total number of passengers?

1. Break Down the Problem

• Total number of passengers = 49
• Number of male passengers = 16
• Number of female passengers can be determined as Total Passengers - Male Passengers.

2. Relevant Concepts

• The ratio is calculated as the number of desired items to the total items. In this case, it is the ratio of male passengers to the total number of passengers.

3. Analysis and Detail

• Calculation of the number of female passengers: $\text{Number of female passengers} = \text{Total passengers} - \text{Male passengers} = 49 - 16 = 33$

• The ratio of male passengers to total passengers: $\text{Ratio} = \frac{\text{Number of male passengers}}{\text{Total passengers}} = \frac{16}{49}$

4. Verify and Summarize

• The ratio of male passengers compared to the total number of passengers is indeed reduced to 16:49, which is already in its simplest form.

Final Answer

The ratio of the number of male passengers to the total number of passengers is $\frac{16}{49}$ or 16:49.