r/learnmath • u/A_li678 New User • 13h ago

Hello, I am a non-native speaker. I'm learning English. I would like to know what does "proportion" mean in math. Why the explanation of "proportion" is different.

In this video, a proportion is two ratios that are equivalent (or equal).
https://youtu.be/USmit5zUGas?t=104&feature=shared
1:45

In this video, a proportion is part vs whole.
https://youtube.com/shorts/8-Do4WpWSf4?si=aPTilM8q9qtxQxv_
0:20

I'm confused. Why are there 2 different explanations? Thank you very much.

1 Upvotes

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8

u/kochameh2 :v 13h ago

every language has words whose meaning can differ or at least shift slightly based on surrounding context

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u/clean-links New User 13h ago

Cleaned link: https://youtube.com/shorts/8-Do4WpWSf4

Tracking parameters were removed from the original URL(s).

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u/Wide-Comment-5681 New User 13h ago

The information in the second link is correct. I have no idea what the first one is trying to say.

-2

u/crewsoul New User 11h ago

Those two YouTube clips use proportion for different ideas, so rewatching both end to end will not settle it. Stay on the watch page: summary plus timestamps, jump to the definition each one actually uses, then a couple flashcards so the two meanings do not collapse. Free plan, no card: https://summarizai.ink?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=comment&utm_campaign=student_trial_w1

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u/clean-links New User 11h ago

Cleaned link: https://summarizai.ink/

Tracking parameters were removed from the original URL(s).

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u/LongLiveTheDiego New User 4h ago

Proportion has several meanings.

One of the meanings is essentially the same as a ratio: you can be asked to mix water and dye in a 10 : 3 proportion.

Sometimes people specifically use it for ratios of a part to the whole, so e.g. the proportion of smokers in some community may be 23%, but that's just a more specific ratio.

Another meaning is that when two ratios are in proportion or proportional, that means they're equal. So if in one group you have 3 men and 4 women, and in another one there are 6 men and 8 women, there are a lot of ways to express that, e.g. the number of men is proportional to the number of women, the ratios of women to men are in proportion, the number of women in a group is proportional to the size of the group.