Ratio Calculator

Calculation Types

1. Simplify Ratio

1. Enter two numbers you want to express as a simplified ratio
2. Click "Calculate" to see the simplified ratio
3. View additional information like decimal value, percentage, and reciprocal

2. Solve Proportion

1. Enter 3 known values in the proportion a:b = c:d
2. Leave the unknown value empty
3. Click "Calculate" to find the missing value

3. Compare Ratios

1. Enter two ratios using formats like "3:4", "3 to 4", or "3/4"
2. Click "Calculate" to see which ratio is larger
3. View the decimal equivalents for easy comparison

4. Scale Ratio

1. Enter the original ratio
2. Enter the scale factor (multiplier)
3. Click "Calculate" to see the scaled ratio

A ratio is a way to compare two or more quantities by showing the relationship between them. Ratios are fundamental in mathematics, science, cooking, construction, and many other fields where proportional relationships matter.

What is a Ratio?

A ratio expresses how much of one thing there is compared to another. For example, if a recipe calls for 2 cups of flour to 1 cup of sugar, the ratio is 2:1 (read as "two to one"). This means for every 2 parts flour, there is 1 part sugar.

Types of Ratios

• Part-to-Part: Compares one part to another part (e.g., 3 red marbles to 5 blue marbles = 3:5)
• Part-to-Whole: Compares a part to the total (e.g., 3 red marbles out of 8 total = 3:8)
• Unit Ratios: One quantity per unit of another (e.g., 60 miles per hour)

Equivalent Ratios

Ratios that represent the same relationship are called equivalent ratios. For example, 2:3, 4:6, and 8:12 are all equivalent because they represent the same proportional relationship. You can find equivalent ratios by multiplying or dividing both terms by the same number.

Real-World Applications

• Cooking: Recipe scaling and ingredient proportions
• Construction: Mixing concrete, paint, or other materials
• Finance: Investment ratios, debt-to-income ratios
• Art: Golden ratio in design and composition
• Sports: Win-loss ratios, performance metrics
• Medicine: Drug dosage calculations

Essential Ratio Formulas

• •Always express ratios in their simplest form for easier understanding
• •Use the cross-multiplication method to check if two ratios are equivalent
• •Convert ratios to decimals when comparing multiple ratios
• •In cooking, use ratios to scale recipes up or down proportionally
• •Remember that order matters in ratios: 3:4 is different from 4:3
• •Unit ratios (x:1) are often easier to work with and understand
• •When working with percentages, convert to ratios for proportion calculations
• •Use the reciprocal ratio to express the inverse relationship