Out of every hundred
A percentage is a fraction whose denominator is 100.
What does % mean?
"Mega Sale: up to 50% off!" and "Hiya scored 83% in her board exams." The sign % is everywhere. What does it mean?
25 per cent means 25 out of how many?
What this lesson covers
The idea
Per cent, written %, means out of every hundred, so a percentage is simply a fraction whose denominator is 100: x% = x/100.
What does % mean?
"Mega Sale: up to 50% off!" and "Hiya scored 83% in her board exams." The sign % is everywhere. What does it mean?
25 per cent means 25 out of how many?
- Out of 10
- Out of 100
- Out of 25
Shade the hundred
The big grid is one whole, cut into 100 equal squares. Tap a square to shade up to it, or use the buttons. Read what the numbers say.
Per cent means by the hundred
Per cent, written %, means out of every hundred, so a percentage is simply a fraction whose denominator is 100: x% = x/100.
Per cent comes from the Latin *per centum*, "by the hundred". So 25% means 25 out of every 100: 25 people out of 100, ₹25 out of ₹100, or 25 marks out of 100.
A percentage is a fraction with denominator 100: 20% = 20/100 = 2/10 = 1/5 33% = 33/100
Notes
Per cent, written %, means out of every hundred, so a percentage is simply a fraction whose denominator is 100: x% = x/100.
Check yourself
In a class of 100 students, 58 are girls. What percentage of the students are girls?
Answer: 58 %
58 out of every 100 is 58/100, which is 58%.
What is 20% as a fraction in its simplest form?
Which is bigger, 60% or 1/2?
The word "per cent" comes from the Latin *per centum*. What does it mean?
- 1/5 — correct. Yes! 20% = 20/100. Dividing the top and the bottom by 20 gives 1/5.
- 1/20. That is 5%: 1 out of 20 is 5 out of 100.
- 2/5. That is 40%: 2/5 = 40/100.
- 20/1. That is 20 whole ones. A percentage is out of 100.
- 60%, because 60/100 is more than 50/100 — correct. Yes! 1/2 = 50/100, which is 50%. So 60% is more.
- 1/2, because it is a fraction. A percentage is a fraction too. 60% = 60/100 and 1/2 = 50/100.
- They are equal. They would be equal if it were 50%. 1/2 is 50/100, and 60/100 is more.
- By the hundred — correct. Yes! Per centum means "by the hundred", or out of a hundred.
- By the ten. That would be per decem. Per cent is out of a hundred, not out of ten.
- By the thousand. That would be per mille. Per cent is out of a hundred.