What percent is it?
You learn to work out what percentage something is, like 12 out of 48.
How to work it out
- Write the part above the line and the whole below it.
- Simplify the fraction if you can.
- Make it hundredths: multiply the top and the bottom by the same number.
- Read the percentage: the number over 100.
100
20
250
50
A worked example
15 out of 60 = ?%
- Write it as a fraction: 1560.
- Simplify it: 1560 = 14.
- Multiply the top and the bottom by 25: 14 = 25100.
- It is 25%.
More examples
8 out of 40 = ?%
- Write it as a fraction: 840.
- Simplify it: 840 = 15.
- Multiply the top and the bottom by 20: 15 = 20100.
- It is 20%.
18 out of 24 = ?%
- Write it as a fraction: 1824.
- Divide the top and the bottom by 6: 1824 = 34.
- Multiply the top and the bottom by 25: 34 = 75100.
- It is 75%.
Try it yourself
9 out of 36 = ?%
12 out of 48 = ?%
Watch out
You put the whole above the line: 4812.
The part goes on top, the whole underneath. Then your answer is never more than 100%.
You write the fraction straight away as a percentage: 14 becomes 14%.
Make hundredths first: 14 = 25100. The number over the 100 is the percentage.
Tips
- If you know the fractions by heart, like 14 is 25% and 15 is 20%, you are done straight away.
Why it works
12 out of 48 is a fraction: 1248. A percentage is a fraction with 100 below the line. If you simplify the fraction first, it is easy to turn it into hundredths.