What Percent Means
Part of the Decimals, Percents & Ratios section of Coddy's Pre-Algebra journey. Lesson 26 of 56.
Percent means per hundred: the sign % says 'out of 100'. If 25 of every 100 people in a town ride a bike, then 25% of the town rides. So 25% is 25/100, which is the decimal 0.25: three ways to write the same number.
100% is 100 out of 100, the whole thing. 50% is half, 10% is a tenth, and 0% is none at all. A percent can also go past 100: 200% is twice the whole, the way a price can double.
Why use percents at all? Because they all compare to the same 100. Saying 18 out of 30 and 21 out of 35 makes you work to see which is bigger; as percents both are 60%, and you can see at once that they are equal.
Challenge
Write 0.45 as a percent. First write it as a fraction out of 100, then as a percent.
Try it yourself
Simplify the expression
Test yourselfThis lesson includes a short quiz. Start the lesson to answer it and track your progress.
All lessons in Decimals, Percents & Ratios
4Dividing Decimals
Dividing by a DecimalDividing by 10 and 100Dividing by a Whole NumberUnit PriceRecap: Dividing2Adding Decimals
Adding DecimalsSubtracting DecimalsNegative DecimalsMaking ChangeRecap: Add and Subtract3Multiplying Decimals
Multiplying DecimalsTimes 10, 100, 1000Bigger ProductsBuying by WeightRecap: Multiplying6Percent Basics
What Percent MeansPercent of a NumberPercent as a DecimalWhat Percent Is ItRecap: Percent Basics