Aspect ratio
Aspect Ratio is a geometrical term describing the ratio of the width to the height of a shape, and is written as a fraction. For example, a square has an aspect ratio of 1, as both width and height are identical. A rectangle which is twice as wide as it is high would have an aspect ratio of 2. The side profile of a car which is four times as long as it is high would be 4. Or a skyscraper might have an aspect ratio of 0.10, if it were ten times as high as it was wide at the base.[1]
The term can be encountered in everyday use as a description of the 'shape' of TVs. Traditional, or Standard Definition (SD) television images have an aspect ratio of 4:3, whereas more modern High Definition (HD) Widescreen images usually have a ratio of 16:9.[1]
