To find the ratio of blue to green to red marbles in its simplest form, let's look at the counts provided:

• Blue marbles: 16
• Green marbles: 8
• Red marbles: 12

The ratio of blue to green to red marbles is:

$16 : 8 : 12$

To simplify, we need to find the greatest common divisor (GCD) of these three numbers. The GCD of 16, 8, and 12 is 4.

Now, divide each number by 4:

$\frac{16}{4} : \frac{8}{4} : \frac{12}{4} = 4 : 2 : 3$

Therefore, the simplified ratio of blue to green to red marbles is:

$4 : 2 : 3$

Would you like further details on this solution?

Here are some related questions to expand your understanding:

1. What would the ratio be if there were 24 blue marbles, 12 green, and 18 red?
2. How do you determine the greatest common divisor (GCD) for multiple numbers?
3. Can ratios be converted to fractions, and if so, how?
4. How would the ratio change if one color of marble was doubled?
5. What is the importance of simplifying ratios in real-world problems?

Tip: When simplifying ratios, always look for the largest common divisor to reduce each part evenly.