gear ratio

American  

noun

Machinery.

1. the ratio of the rotational speeds of the first and final gears in a train of gears or of any two meshing gears.

2. the ratio of the diameters of the pitch surfaces of any two meshing gears or of the numbers of their teeth.

---

Etymology

Origin of gear ratio

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

Turbo mode can quickly overwhelm the bike’s single-speed gear ratio, however.

From The Verge • Jul. 17, 2019

But if you think post-apocalyptically, that gear ratio means a very efficient bike for carrying heavy loads.

From Slate • Sep. 16, 2013

They have no brakes and a fixed gear ratio that means the pedals will always be turning whether our legs want them to be or not.

From The Guardian • Aug. 23, 2012

Larger tires reduce the effective gear ratio, which adds the potential for higher top speed, but makes it harder to accelerate.

From Time Magazine Archive

Speed curves were then plotted for the trains on the entire line, showing at each point the maximum possible speed, with the gear ratio of the motors adopted.

From The New York Subway Its Construction and Equipment by Anonymous