What does a gear ratio represent?

A gear ratio represents the relationship between the number of teeth on two meshed gears. It is calculated by taking the number of teeth on the driven gear and dividing it by the number of teeth on the driving gear. This ratio indicates how many times one gear must rotate to make the other gear complete a rotation, directly affecting the mechanical advantage, speed, and torque in a gear system. Understanding this concept is crucial in mechanical design because it influences the performance characteristics of machinery, such as how quickly or powerfully it can operate.

Other options might seem relevant, but they do not accurately define what a gear ratio signifies. For instance, while the ratio can impact speed and torque differences between gears, those aspects are indirectly related to the actual gear ratio itself. Similarly, the relationship between power input and output is important for overall system efficiency, but it is not a direct measure of gear ratio; rather, it involves additional factors like losses in the system and efficiency rates.