## Proportions

#### How is a proportion different from a ratio?

Stellar question! A proportion is an equation that simply lets us know that two ratios are equal. For example, we know that $\frac{16}{8}$ and $\frac{4}{2}$ are equivalent because dividing each ratio gives us the same value of $2$.

#### Common Questions

Stellar question! A proportion is an equation that simply lets us know that two ratios are equal. For example, we know that $\frac{16}{8}$ and $\frac{4}{2}$ are equivalent because dividing each ratio gives us the same value of $2$.

### Ratio vs Proportion… What's the difference?

A ratio is a comparison of two quantities, whereas a proportion is an equation that lets us know two ratios are equal to each other. For example, we know that $\frac{16}{8}$ and $\frac{4}{2}$ are equivalent because dividing each ratio gives us the same value of $2$.

If you're not quite sure what ratios are, click below for a refresher!

If you do know your ratios, match the ratios that are equivalent to each other:

We can express proportions in two different ways:

FormatExample
$a:b = c:d$$16:8 = 4:2$
$\frac{a}{b} = \frac{c}{d}$$\frac{16}{8} = \frac{4}{2}$

But, why does understanding ratios and proportions matter?