Carbohydrates has a ratio of 1 carbon, 2 hydrogen, and 1 oxygen but, how do monosaccharides have a backbone of 3-7 carbon? Aren't monosaccharides carbohydrates??

Question

df001 · Answer

I was told that monosaccharides are carbohydrates but in my class notes, it says that carbohydrates only have 1 carbon..

df001 · Answer

Carbohydrates's ratio of 1:2:1

df001 · Answer

Carbohydrates = 1 carbon 
but how is that possible, when monosaccharides have a back bone of 3-7 carbon?

df001 · Answer

help me out please

fatir5 · Answer

They are telling you about the ratio. We call it as "Empirical formula" or the simplified formula of carbohydrates. That means for every single carbon, you will have 2 hydrogen and one oxygen attached.
So according to this, a simplest monosaccharide having 3 carbon atoms would have a total of 6H and 3O attached.