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Proportion, in arithmetic and geometry, a particular relation between groups of numbers or quantities. In arithmetic, proportion is the equality of ratios; ratio is the division of one number by another.
The proportion 12:3::8:2 is read as "12 is to 3 as 8 is to 2." In every true proportion the product of the first and last terms (known as the extremes) is equal to the product of the second and third term (known as the means).
The arithmetical rule called proportion finds a fourth number proportional to three other numbers by multiplying together the means and dividing the product by the first extreme. Continued proportion is a property of every three terms in a geometric progression.
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