Calculate ratios, find missing values, simplify ratios, and get percentage breakdown. Perfect for proportions and scaling.
A ratio compares two quantities showing their relative sizes. It's expressed as A:B, meaning "A to B". Ratios are used in cooking, maps, scale models, and many real-world applications to maintain proportional relationships.
To simplify a ratio, divide both numbers by their greatest common factor (GCF). For example, 12:8 simplifies to 3:2 by dividing both by 4. The simplified ratio maintains the same proportional relationship.
Equivalent ratios are ratios that represent the same proportional relationship. For example, 1:2, 2:4, 3:6, and 4:8 are all equivalent. They can be obtained by multiplying or dividing both parts of the ratio by the same number.
Use cross-multiplication: if A:B = C:D, then A×D = B×C. To find a missing value, set up the proportion and solve for the unknown. Our calculator does this automatically when you enter one partial value.
Ratios are used for: cooking recipes (scaling ingredients), map scales (distance representation), mixing paint colors, financial ratios (debt-to-income), aspect ratios (screens and images), and maintaining proportions in design and engineering.