What is Ratio in Math – Explained with Examples

Many students do not know what is ratio in math. Students in this post will explore about the ratios and able to answer the ratio problems after reading this post carefully.

Define Ratio in Math

A ratio is the relationship between two similar amounts or the comparison of two similar quantities of the same kind. Ratios can be written in three distinct ways, each with the same meaning, using ratio symbols or words.

Ratio can  be represented with a fraction bar, the phrase “to” or the ratio sign “: “ between the two values being compared.

A ratio compares two quantities by dividing them, with the dividend or number being divided being referred to as the antecedent and the divisor or number dividing being referred to as the consequent.

How to represent Ratio in Math

There are three ways to represent the ratios , such as:
• a to b
• a : b
• a/b

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Ratio Example Explained

In a group of 50,  20 people like to walk in the night and 30 prefer to cycling in the night.

We write 20: 30 to represent this information as a ratio.

The symbol ‘:’ is read as “is to” in this case.

As a result, the proportion of persons who prefer walking to those who prefer cycling is ’20 to 30′.

Ratio in our Daily Life

Ratios are common in our daily life and can assist to simplify many of our interactions by putting numbers into context.

Ratios make it easier to measure and express quantities by simplifying them. Such as:

• The car was moving at 60 mph, or 60 miles per hour.
• There were enough cookies for everyone of the 78 students to have two cookies.

How to calculate Ratios

Calculate the ratios of two quantities using following steps . Let’s look at an example to better grasp this.

Let’s say you need 25 cups of milk and 15 cups of coco powder to make custard. Calculate the milk and coco powder ratio in the recipe.

Step 1: Determine the quantities for both scenarios for which the ratio is being calculated. It’s 25 and 15 in this scenario.

Step 2: Write it as an a/b fraction. As a result, we’ll write it as 25/15.

Step 3: If possible, simplify the fraction even further to find the final ratio.  25/15 can be simplified to 5/3 in this case.

Step 4: Therefore, the ratio of milk to coco-powder can be expressed as 5: 3.

Some Important Key points for Ratios

• If the numbers ‘a’ and ‘b’ in the ratio a: b are equal, then a: b= 1.
• When a > b in the a: b ratio, a: b > 1.
• If a b is in the ratio a: b, then the ratio is a: b 1.
• Before comparing the two quantities, make sure that their units are comparable.