Mathematics
What is Percentages?
A percentage is a way of expressing a number as a fraction of 100. The word means 'per hundred,' so 25% simply means 25 out of 100, or one quarter.
See it, don’t just read it.
Watch a 2-minute lesson with voice + animation that explains percentages.
Key things to understand
- 1'%' means 'out of 100' — 50% = 50/100 = 1/2.
- 2To find a percentage of a number, multiply by the percentage as a decimal (20% of 80 = 0.20 × 80 = 16).
- 3Percentages let you compare proportions on the same scale.
- 4They're everywhere: discounts, interest, statistics, grades.
Frequently asked questions
- How do you calculate a percentage of a number?
- Convert the percentage to a decimal and multiply (e.g., 30% of 50 = 0.30 × 50 = 15).
- How do you convert a fraction to a percentage?
- Divide the top by the bottom and multiply by 100 (3/4 = 0.75 = 75%).
- What does 'percent' mean?
- 'Per hundred' — a way to express a part out of 100.