Page 463 - Basic College Mathematics with Early Integers

440 C HAPTE R 6 I PERCENT

PRACTICE 2 Example 2 46 out of every 100 college students live at home.What percent of
29 out of 100 executives are in students live at home? (Source: Independent Insurance Agents of
their forties.What percent of America)
executives are in their forties? Solution:

46
= 46%
100
Work Practice 2

Objective Writing Percents as Decimals or Fractions

Since percent means “per hundred,” we have that
1
1% = = 0.01
100
1
In other words, the percent symbol means “per hundred” or, equivalently, “ ” or
100
“0.01.”Thus
1 87
Write 87% as a fraction: 87% = 87 * =
100 100
Results are the same.
or
Write 87% as a decimal: 87% = 87 * 10.012 = 0.87
Of course, we know that the end results are the same, that is,

87
= 0.87
100
The above gives us two options for converting percents.We can replace the per-
1
cent symbol, %, by or 0.01 and then multiply.
100

For consistency, when we
• convert from a percent to a decimal, we will drop the % symbol and multiply
by 0.01
• convert from a percent to a fraction, we will drop the % symbol and multiply
1
by
100

Let’s practice writing percents as decimals, then writing percents as fractions.

Writing a Percent as a Decimal

Replace the percent symbol with its decimal equivalent, 0.01; then multiply.
43%=43(0.01)=0.43

Copyright 2012 Pearson Education, Inc.

If it helps, think of writing a percent as a decimal by
Remove the % symbol and move
Percent : : Decimal
decimal point 2 places to the left

Answer
2. 29%