the quantitative relation between two amounts showing the number of times one value contains or is contained within the other. Mathematically the quotient of one amount by another amount.
A ratio is a relationship between two numbers indicating how many times the first number contains the second. For example, if a bowl of fruit contains eight oranges and six lemons, then the ratio of oranges to lemons is eight to six (that is, 8:6, which is equivalent to the ratio 4:3). Thus, a ratio can be a fraction as opposed to a whole number.
A ratio is written "a to b" or a:b, or sometimes expressed arithmetically as a quotient of the two. When the two quantities have the same units, as is often the case, their ratio is a dimensionless number.
