Decimal and Percent

Let’s do a review on converting from decimal to percent and vice versa.

Converting from Decimal to Percent

Percent means per hundred. Twenty percent is just another way of saying "twenty out of a hundred," or twenty hundredths.

To convert from decimal to percentage, just simply multiply the decimal by 100, but remember to put the "%" sign so people know it is per 100. The easiest way to multiply by 100 is to move the decimal point two places to the right.

Example:

Convert the decimal 0.48 to percent.

Solution:

Move the decimal point two places to the right and add a percent sign: 48%. Or, multiply the decimal by 100 and add a percent sign: 0.48 x 100 = 48%

Converting from Fraction to Percent

To convert a fraction to a percentage, you must first convert the fraction to a decimal by dividing the numerator by the denominator. Then simply follow the steps for converting a decimal to a percent by moving the decimal point two places to the right (which is the same as multiplying by 100) and don’t forget the percent sign (%).

Example:

Convert the fraction 3/8 to percent.

Solution:

First convert the fraction to a decimal: 3/8 = 0.375

Then convert the decimal to a percent: 0.375 x 100 = 37.5% 

Converting from Percent to Decimal

To convert a percent to a decimal, just simply divide the percent by 100, but remember to remove the percent sign (%). Alternatively, we can remove the percent sign and move the decimal point two places to the left.

Example:

Convert 7.5% to a decimal.

Solution:

Remove the percent sign and move the decimal point two places to the left: 0.075

Or, divide the percent by 100 and remove the percent sign: 7.5% ÷ 100 = 0.075

Converting from Percent to Fraction

To convert a percent to a fraction, remove the percent sign (%) and divide the percent by 100,then reduce the fraction or move the decimal point to the right until you have only integers. (Note: If you move the decimal place to the right two digits in the numerator, you must do the same in the denominator).

Example:

Convert 7.5% to a fraction.

Solution:

Remove the percent sign and divide by 100: 7.5% = 7.5/100

Now move the decimal point to the right 1 digit:

7.5/100 = 75/1000

Finally, reduce the fraction:

75/1000 = 3/40