unbalanced proportion

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "unbalanced proportion" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when discussing situations where proportions are not equal or fair, often in contexts like statistics, economics, or social issues. Example: "The study revealed an unbalanced proportion of resources allocated to different departments, leading to inefficiencies."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

4 human-written examples

Tree model analyses were not performed at the 80-mU insulin dose because of the relatively small sample size and unbalanced proportion of subjects with and without diabetes.

Diabetes Care

Another limitation is that mutation archives often have an unbalanced proportion of disease-causing gene variants, and appropriate machine learning techniques must be used to compensate for uneven training and test data.

Genome Medicine

For strains NC7.1 and NC7.2, it also confirmed their heterokaryotic nature (signals corresponding to both the presence and absence of the ireA allele were observed) and suggested an unbalanced proportion of both nuclei (Fig.  3b, lanes 1 and 2).

Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology

The reason for this "unbalanced" proportion is that the words are so low in frequency that it is unlikely that any of the participants will know them all (turning a considerable number of the word items into subjective nonwords).

Behavior Research Methods

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

56 human-written examples

Fire, earth, metal, water, and wood were present in entirely unbalanced proportions.

Huffington Post

When the initial inoculum contains unbalanced proportions of r-RV to wt-RV, co-infection of the same cell by both viruses should be a rare event.

Plosone

The initial stages of a fungus comb originating from sexual spores collected from the environment were simulated under laboratory conditions by mixing the homokaryons both in equal and in unbalanced proportions (with one strain in the majority).

BMC Evolutionary Biology

Whether DNA fragments from these repeat regions are released in these unbalanced proportions or specific cell-free DNA clearing mechanisms maintain the under/over-representation is currently not well understood.

BMC Medical Genomics

The utilization of hospital services in this sample was unbalanced: the proportion of patients using inpatient services, shown in Table 3, was low in all periods, and almost two-thirds of patients had no inpatient stay.

BMC Health Services Research

The genomic DNA for 760 randomly selected M2 individuals was screened for unbalanced SNP proportions, as indications of deletion or duplication events within the homeologous regions relative to one another.

Genetics

it begins as follows: Ali al-Ridha writes in his treatise that one's health is in accordance with the balance of phlegm, yellow bile, blood and black bile; an individual becomes sick when this proportion is unbalanced.

Wikipedia

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When describing data, specify which categories contribute most to the "unbalanced proportion" and provide exact numbers to support the claim.

Common error

Avoid simply stating there is an "unbalanced proportion" without specifying what is disproportionate. Always clarify the specific elements or groups that are not proportionally represented.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "unbalanced proportion" typically functions as a descriptive term, often serving as an adjective modifying a noun. It indicates that a specific ratio or distribution is not equal or expected. This aligns with Ludwig's affirmation that the phrase is correct and usable.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

Science

70%

News & Media

20%

Formal & Business

10%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "unbalanced proportion" is a grammatically sound and usable term that describes a disparity or inequality in a distribution or ratio. Ludwig indicates it is appropriate for use in written English. While the phrase is understandable across various registers, it is most commonly found in scientific and news-related contexts. To use it effectively, be specific about what elements are disproportionate and, if possible, provide supporting data. Alternatives like "disproportionate share" or "unequal distribution" can be used for variety or to emphasize specific aspects of the imbalance.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

disproportionate share

Emphasizes that one part receives too much relative to others.

unequal distribution

Focuses on the lack of equality in how something is spread.

skewed ratio

Highlights that the ratio between elements is distorted from a normal or expected state.

lopsided allocation

Suggests that the distribution is heavily weighted to one side.

uneven apportionment

Indicates an unfair distribution of something, such as resources or responsibilities.

asymmetrical distribution

Indicates the distribution is not symmetrical.

disparate allocation

Focuses on the marked difference in allocation amounts.

imbalanced allocation

Allocation not balanced.

unequal representation

Focuses on a lack of equality in how groups are represented.

disproportionate amount

Amount not proportionate.

FAQs

How can I use "unbalanced proportion" in a sentence?

You can use "unbalanced proportion" to describe scenarios where different components of a whole are not in equal or expected amounts. For example: "The study revealed an "unbalanced proportion" of male to female participants."

What are some alternatives to "unbalanced proportion"?

Alternatives to "unbalanced proportion" include "disproportionate share", "unequal distribution", and "skewed ratio", depending on the specific context.

What does "unbalanced proportion" mean in a statistical context?

In statistics, "unbalanced proportion" indicates that the sizes of different groups or categories within a dataset are significantly different, which can affect the validity of statistical analyses.

Is it better to correct for an "unbalanced proportion" in a dataset?

Whether to correct for an "unbalanced proportion" depends on the goals of your analysis. Techniques like weighting or stratified sampling can help mitigate biases introduced by "unequal distribution".