How are ratios different from fractions?

Question

Everly Taylor · Accepted Answer

It is how you use it...

Really, fractions #"are"# another way of representing rations. However, the difference comes in how you use it. Ratios are used to compare things like #"If there are x amount of this, then there are y amount of that"# For example, if you have #1:2# and you are comparing the number of boys to girls, you can say that: For every one boy, there are two girls. A fraction represents part of a whole. For example, if you have #1/2#, then you can say that you want one out of two. Fractions, in other words, tell you how much you have in comparison to the whole.

Autumn Arnold · Answer

undefined Ratios express the relationship between two quantities by comparing them in terms of their relative sizes. Ratios are typically written as $ \frac{a}{b} $, where $ a $ and $ b $ are two quantities being compared.

Fractions, on the other hand, represent a part-to-whole relationship. They express one or more parts of a whole. Fractions are also written as $ \frac{a}{b} $, where $ a $ represents the numerator (the number of parts being considered) and $ b $ represents the denominator (the total number of equal parts that make up the whole).

In summary, while both ratios and fractions involve expressing one quantity relative to another, ratios compare two quantities directly, whereas fractions represent parts of a whole.