Calculator
What is this?
The Approximate Ratio Calculator is designed to help you find simpler versions of complex ratios.
Whether you’re working with aspect ratios in web design or scaling numbers in recipes, this tool provides close, simplified approximations to the original ratio so you can streamline calculations.
First developed in 2024 by Chris Corby – enjoy! 🎊
What is a ratio?
— Wikipedia“In mathematics, a ratio […] shows how many times one number contains another. For example, if there are eight oranges and six lemons in a bowl of fruit, then the ratio of oranges to lemons is eight to six (that is, 8:6, which is equivalent to the ratio 4:3).”
How it works
- Set your ratio – the one you want to simplify.
- Position the similarity slider.
- Check the maximum value you’re willing to accept.
- Get the best matches!
The calculator will try to find all possible results and return the top 3 – scored for similarity.
How does similarity work?
The calculator attributes a percentage similarity score to all results.
100% is a perfect match, for example 10 : 5 and 2 : 1.
50% is a pretty poor match.
Setting the slider to MORE will only show near perfect matches while setting it to LESS will accept any result.
How does maximum value work?
To make the results easier to work with, you can control the largest number in the ratio.
Setting this number to 5 means that nothing higher than a 5 can appear.
Troubleshooting
- Neither part of your ratio can be 1 – that ratio can’t be simplified.
- Move the similarity slider towards LESS.
- Increase your maximum value.
- Refresh and try again?
Why use it?
This tool makes complex numbers manageable. By reducing ratios to simpler, approximate values, it helps you avoid errors and keeps your calculations straightforward.
Design Example
An element measures 161 x 87 in your layout – seemingly random numbers.
Using a close approximation like 13 : 7 (~99% match) or 9 : 5 (~97% match) makes this easier to rationalise and carry throughout your design.
Cooking Example
A recipe calls for 350g of flour and 60g of sugar.
Simplifying this to a rough 6 : 1 ratio makes it easier to scale the recipe for different sized groups.
Image/Video Editing Example
A frame has a raw resolution of 1080 x 604 – a non-standard size.
Finding a close ratio like 16 : 9 (~99% match) lets you resize with minimal loss while keeping a standard aspect ratio.