Understanding Percentages
Year 5 · Maths · Free — no account needed
Understanding Percentages
What does "percent" mean?
The word "percent" means "out of 100". The symbol % is a quick way to write "per hundred". So 25% means 25 out of 100 equal parts of something.
100% is the whole
When something is 100%, that means all of it — the complete whole, with nothing left over. If a bucket is 100% full, there is no room left. If 100% of a class attended an excursion, every single student went.
Familiar percentages and their partners
Some percentages are so common that it helps to know their fraction and decimal partners by heart:
- 100% = 1 whole = 1.0
- 50% = 1/2 = 0.5
- 25% = 1/4 = 0.25
- 75% = 3/4 = 0.75
- 10% = 1/10 = 0.1
- 20% = 1/5 = 0.2
To turn a percentage into a decimal, divide by 100 (move the decimal point two places left). For example, 40% = 40 ÷ 100 = 0.4.
Using percentages to compare
Percentages let us compare amounts fairly, even when they come from different situations. Because every percentage is "out of 100", 60% is always bigger than 40%, no matter what it is a percentage of.
Worked Example
Two shops have sales on the same day. Shop A takes 30% off. Shop B takes 1/4 off. Which shop offers the bigger discount? Step 1: Change 1/4 into a percentage so both discounts are in the same form. 1/4 = 25/100 = 25%. Step 2: Compare the two percentages: 30% and 25%. Step 3: 30 is greater than 25, so 30% is bigger than 25%. Shop A offers the bigger discount.
Practice
What does 100% represent?
Flashcards
What does the word "percent" mean?
"Out of 100" — the % symbol is a short way of writing per hundred.
What does 100% represent?
The complete whole — all of something, with nothing left out.
What is 50% as a fraction and a decimal?
1/2 and 0.5
What is 25% as a fraction and a decimal?
1/4 and 0.25
How do you change a percentage into a decimal?
Divide by 100 (move the decimal point two places left).
How do you compare two percentages?
Compare the numbers directly — since both are out of 100, the bigger number is the bigger percentage.
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