Here we will show you how to convert the ratio 3:5 to a fraction. In other words, we will convert the ratio of 3:5 to a fraction with a numerator and a denominator.
There is actually more than one answer to this problem, depending on what kind of ratio it is. 3:5 can either be a Part-to-Part ratio or a Part-to-Whole ratio. We will describe and convert both types of ratios to fractions.
Part-to-Part
A part-to-part ratio is the most common form of ratio. If the ratio 3:5 is a part-to-part ratio, it means that there are 3 of something and 5 of something else with a total of 8.
To convert a part-to-part ratio such as 3:5 as a fraction, you make the left side of the colon the numerator and the total the denominator:
3:5 → 3/8
Since there are 5 of something else, you can also make another fraction where the right side of the colon is the numerator and once again the total is the denominator:
3:5 → 5/8
Part-to-Whole
A part-to-whole ratio of 3:5 means that there are 3 of something and the total is 5. It also means that there are 2 of something else. To convert a Part-to-Whole ratio such as 3:5, you replace the colon with a fraction bar to get this answer:
3:5 → 3/5
Since there are 2 of something else and still the total of 5, you can also make a 2nd fraction like this:
3:5 → 2/5
Ratio to Fraction Converter
Use this tool to convert another ratio to a fraction.
3:6 as a fraction
Here is the next ratio on our list that we have converted to a fraction.