What is ratio?

Ratio is a way of comparing amounts of something. It shows how much bigger one thing is than another. For example:

• Use 1 measure screen wash to 10 measures water
• Use 1 shovel of cement to 3 shovels of sand
• Use 3 parts blue paint to 1 part white

Ratio is the number of parts to a mix. The paint mix is 4 parts, with 3 parts blue and 1 part white.

The order in which a ratio is stated is important. For example, the ratio of screenwash to water is 1:10. This means for every 1 measure of screenwash there are 10 measures of water.

Mixing paint in the ratio 3:1 (3 parts blue paint to 1 part white paint) means 3 + 1 = 4 parts in all.

3 parts blue paint to 1 part white paint = is ¾ blue paint to ¼ white paint.

If the mix is in the right proportions, we can say that it is in the correct ratio.