Ratio is the relation between two numbers or quantities. It is useful for showing the number of times one value contains or is contained within the other. For instance in the ratio 1:3, if 1 is sand and 3 is water, you would need three times the amount of water in relation to sand. Ratios help us to visualize how different numbers of things compare to one another. They are also very similar to fractions. The ratios 1:3 and 2:3 can also be represented by the fractions  1⁄3 and  2⁄3. Tip: if you reverse the order of the numbers in a ratio, the ratio changes. 2:1 is NOT the same as 1:2. The... Show more

Ratio is the relation between two numbers or quantities. It is useful for showing the number of times one value contains or is contained within the other. For instance in the ratio 1:3, if 1 is sand and 3 is water, you would need three times the amount of water in relation to sand. Ratios help us to visualize how different numbers of things compare to one another. They are also very similar to fractions. The ratios 1:3 and 2:3 can also be represented by the fractions  1⁄3 and  2⁄3.

Tip: if you reverse the order of the numbers in a ratio, the ratio changes. 2:1 is NOT the same as 1:2. The order in which you write your ratio is important. Finally, ratios can be simplified by dividing/multiplying the ratio by another number, e.g. 4:8 can be written as 1:2 by dividing both numbers in the ratio by 4.

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