ratio

Definitions

Directly from Latin ratiō ('a reckoning, calculation'). Ratio kept the arithmetic face of the word: it expresses how two quantities compare by number (a ratio of 3 to 1). It is the same Latin word that elsewhere became 'reason' — but this branch stayed in the world of figures.

Common Collocations

• 1.ratio of A to BA 与 B 的比率
• 2.in a ratio of以……的比例
• 3.high ratio高比率
• 4.debt-to-income ratio债务收入比

Example Sentences

• 1.

  The ratio of students to teachers is about fifteen to one.

• 2.

  Mix the paint in a ratio of two parts blue to one part white.

Easily Confused

ratio vs proportion vs rate — a ratio compares two quantities (3:1). A proportion is a part relative to a whole (a large proportion of voters). A rate measures one quantity per unit of another (miles per hour, interest rate).