Understanding Percents

How do you write percents?

A percent means “per one hundred”. A percent which is less than 100% is like a fraction or a decimal because it represents part of a whole.

Example 1: To write a percent from a fraction:

            3 out of 100 families, or  have pet rabbits.

The part out of 100 is the percent, so  is 3%.

3% of the families have pet rabbits.

Example 2: To write a percent from a decimal:

  Barry was sick 0.05 of the school year.

• First, write the decimal as a fraction with 100 as the denominator.

  

• Then write the fraction as a percent.

  

  Barry was sick 5% of the school year.