The Throw Ratio of a projector is a ratio of image width vs installation distance. Every projector comes with a number called the 'throw ratio' that is used to calculate the installation position of the projector. Many projectors will have 2 Throw Ratio's, a zoomed in ratio and a zoomed out ratio. Using these 2 numbers you can calculate the minimum and maximum distance where you need to place your projector in order to display the desired image size. The Throw Ratio can also be used to calculate what image size is achievable when a projector is placed at a certain distance.
Just projectors includes a throw distance chart on most of its projector information pages so you can easily check the suitability for your installation.