Close this window

Percentages & Decimals

The % is a percent sign, meaning divided by 100.

So 25% means 25/100, or 1/4.

To convert a percentage to a decimal, divide by 100.

So 25% is 25/100, or 0.25.

To convert a decimal to a percentage, multiply by 100 (just move the decimal point 2 places to the right). For example:

0.065 = 6.5%, and

3.75 = 375%.

To find a percentage of a number, say 30% of 40, change the percent to a decimal and multiply.

(30/100)(40) = 0.3 × 40 = 12.

To find what percent one number is of another, divide them:

3/4 = 0.75 = 75%, so 3 is 75% of 4.

To change a fraction into a decimal, divide and multiply the result by 100.

3/4 = 0.75 = 75%, to recycle a recent example.

Decimals already stand for fractions:

0.23 means 23/100 , and 0.6 means 6/10 or 3/5.