Percentage | Definition, Examples, & Usage (2024)

mathematics

verifiedCite

While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies.Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.

Select Citation Style

Feedback

Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

Print

verifiedCite

While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies.Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.

Select Citation Style

Feedback

Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

percentage, a relative value indicating hundredth parts of any quantity. One percent (symbolized 1%) is a hundredth part; thus, 100 percent represents the entirety and 200 percent specifies twice the given quantity.

For example, 1 percent of 1,000 chickens equals 1/100 of 1,000, or 10 chickens; 20 percent of the quantity is 20/100 1,000, or 200. These relationships may be generalized as x = PT/100 where T is the total reference quantity chosen to indicate 100 percent, and x is the quantity equivalent to a given percentage P of T. Thus, in the example for 1 percent of 1,000 chickens, T is 1,000, P is 1, and x is found to be 10.

Percentage | Definition, Examples, & Usage (2)

Britannica Quiz

Numbers and Mathematics

In many commonly occurring percentage problems, x and T are known, and the percentage of T that x represents is sought. For such cases it is convenient to use the equation P = 100x/T.

A frequent application of the second equation is in calculating percentage of profit or loss in business transactions. Suppose a retailer buys an item at a wholesale price T of $80 and sells it for $110 at a profit x of $30. From the equation, the percentage profit is 100 × 30/80, or 37.5 percent. Similarly, a merchant may put an item on sale, lowering the price T of $20 to $17; a reduction x of $3, or 15 percent.

Percentage | Definition, Examples, & Usage (3)

In statistics, the notion of cumulative percentage (percentile) is in common use. For example, a student who scores at the 83rd percentile on an examination has exceeded the performance of 83 percent of the students with whom a comparison is being drawn. The probability that a given event will occur may be expressed as a percentage (or its equivalent decimal value or fraction). A perfectly balanced coin will tend to fall head side up once in every two tosses; this probability may be given with equal accuracy as 1/2, .50, or 50 percent.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Michael Ray.

Percentage | Definition, Examples, & Usage (2024)

FAQs

Percentage | Definition, Examples, & Usage? ›

One percent (symbolized 1%) is a hundredth part; thus, 100 percent represents the entirety and 200 percent specifies twice the given quantity. For example, 1 percent of 1,000 chickens equals 1/100 of 1,000, or 10 chickens; 20 percent of the quantity is 20/100 1,000, or 200.

What is the definition of percentage and example? ›

a. : a part of a whole expressed in hundredths. a high percentage of students attended. b. : the result obtained by multiplying a number by a percent.

What is the definition of a percent in your own words? ›

The word percent means out of each hundred or per one hundred. The word comes from the Latin phrase per centum which translates to "by the hundred." So, for every one hundred units of something, a single percent would represent one out of those hundred units, or one percent.

How do you describe percentage of something? ›

A percentage is a proportion of an amount, group or set. Another way to think of this is as a fraction out of 100. So if you had an 80% success rate at a task, this would mean that for every 100 attempts, 80 of them would be a success.

What is percentage usage? ›

Usage Percentage is a metric that calculates the proportion of resources used compared to the total available resources, expressed as a percentage.

What is the meaning of percentage in one word? ›

Definitions of percentage. noun. a proportion in relation to a whole (which is usually the amount per hundred) synonyms: pct, per centum, percent.

How to calculate percentages? ›

How do you calculate a percentage? To calculate a percentage, you typically divide the part (the smaller value) by the whole (the larger value), and then multiply the result by 100. This gives you the percentage value as a number between 0 and 100.

How do you explain percentages simply? ›

The symbol '%' means 'per cent'. 9% means 9 out of every 100, or . Percentages are just one way of expressing numbers that are part of a whole. These numbers can also be written as fractions close fractionA fraction is a part of a whole, for example 1/2. or decimals.

How do you understand percentages for dummies? ›

One percent is one hundredth of a whole. It can therefore be written as both a decimal and a fraction. To write a percentage as a decimal, simply divide it by 100. For example, 50% becomes 0.5, 20% becomes 0.2, 1% becomes 0.01 and so on.

What is 20% out of 45? ›

20% of 45 is 9.

What is percent define with an example? ›

In mathematics, a percentage is a number or ratio that can be expressed as a fraction of 100. If we have to calculate percent of a number, divide the number by the whole and multiply by 100. Hence, the percentage means, a part per hundred. The word per cent means per 100.

What is the simple percentage mean? ›

A simple percentage is a fraction of 100, representing a proportion or ratio of a whole. It's often used to express parts of a whole or to compare quantities. In simple percentage is just a way of showing a part of something compared to the whole, but it's expressed as a fraction of 100.

What is the purpose of percentage? ›

The most basic application of percentages is to compare one quantity against another, with the second quantity rebased to 100.

How are percentages used in real life? ›

The percentage is used by Banks and financial institutions to calculate interest % on loans, fixed deposits, and savings accounts. Per cent is also used by economists to calculate the growth rate, inflation rate etc. It is also used for many other rates like depreciation rate on cars, trucks, and other vehicles.

What is the rule for percentages? ›

The percentage of a number is the value of the number out of 100. It is calculated by using the formula (part/whole) × 100. For example, in a class, there are 26 boys and 24 girls. So, the percentage of boys in the class is 26/(26+24) × 100 = 26/50 × 100 = 52%, which means out of 100, 52 are boys.

What is one way to use percentages? ›

Percentages can be used to express a fraction of something. For example, a company started with 15,000 employees and has grown 3% within the past year. O B. Percentages can be used to describe a change.

Why do we have percentages if we never use them? ›

Percentages are useful because we tend to have a better intuitive understanding of something out of ‍ than fractions and decimals. That's good because in the real world, we're surrounded by percent calculations: a waiter's tip, income tax, results of surveys, etc.

What does percent mean in a sentence? ›

Word forms: plural percent. countable noun. You use percent to talk about amounts. For example, if an amount is 10 percent (10%) of a larger amount, it is equal to 10 hundredths of the larger amount. Sixteen percent of children live in poverty in this country.

What are examples of percentages used? ›

Let's say a shirt costs eight dollars, but it's on sale for 50% off. This means it will cost fifty percent less than the original price, or half as much. This discount is a percentage of the original price. Here, 50% off means the discount is 50% of $8.

What is an interesting fact about percentage? ›

Percent is literally the number that holds the same ratio with 100 as the given number holds with the total amount. For example, you score 20 out of 50 marks. The ratio that 20 bears with 50 is 2:5. The number that bears the same ratio of 2:5 with 100 is 40.

How do you find 30% of 200? ›

Finally, simplify the equation to solve for . Multiply 30 by 200 and divide both sides by 100. Hence, 30% of 200 is 60.

What is the difference between percent and percentage with example? ›

Ideally, “percent” is always associated with a specific number: The maximum error that can be introduced by over-mixing is 10%. “Percentage” is used to refer to a general relationship rather than a specific measure: A large percentage of the people voted, but only 20 percent of the votes counted.

What is a 200% increase? ›

Example; 200% increase of 90 : 200 / 100 = 2. 2 • 90 = 180. Note: You are actually doing is doubling an amount.

What does 15 percent mean? ›

15% means 15/100, or 0.15. Now, 15% “of” something means the same as 15% times something, i.e., you multiply the number by 0.15.

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Edmund Hettinger DC

Last Updated:

Views: 6053

Rating: 4.8 / 5 (78 voted)

Reviews: 93% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Edmund Hettinger DC

Birthday: 1994-08-17

Address: 2033 Gerhold Pine, Port Jocelyn, VA 12101-5654

Phone: +8524399971620

Job: Central Manufacturing Supervisor

Hobby: Jogging, Metalworking, Tai chi, Shopping, Puzzles, Rock climbing, Crocheting

Introduction: My name is Edmund Hettinger DC, I am a adventurous, colorful, gifted, determined, precious, open, colorful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.