To calculate a percentage, use the basic formula:
Percentage=(PartWhole)×100\text{Percentage}=\left(\frac{\text{Part}}{\text{Whole}}\right)\times 100Percentage=(WholePart)×100
This means you divide the part (the portion or amount you are interested in) by the whole (the total or complete amount), then multiply the result by 100 to convert it to a percentage.
Steps to Calculate Percentage
- Identify the part (the value part of the total).
- Identify the whole (the total value).
- Divide the part by the whole to get a decimal.
- Multiply the decimal by 100 to get the percentage.
Example
If a student answered 56 questions correctly out of 80 questions, the percentage of correct answers is:
(5680)×100=70%\left(\frac{56}{80}\right)\times 100=70%(8056)×100=70%
So, the student got 70% of the answers right. This method works for converting fractions or decimals to percentages as well. If you have a fraction, first convert it to a decimal by dividing the numerator by the denominator, then multiply by 100. This is the fundamental way to calculate percentages, widely applicable in many contexts such as discounts, test scores, and data analysis.
