Percents and Decimals

We often encounter percents and decimals in our everyday lives, but what are they, and is it possible to convert from one to the other? Let's take a closer look at percents and decimals.

What are percents?

The word percent means "hundredths" or "divided by 100". It is represented by the symbol %. If you encounter the words "20 percent", they can be written as "20%" or "mean twenty out of one hundred".

What are decimals?

A terminating decimal is a shorthand way to write a fraction and mixed numbers with denominators that are powers of 10 like 10, 100, 1000, 10000, and beyond.

When looking at a decimal like 0.4, the first digit to the right of the decimal point indicates the number of tenths. This decimal also means $\frac{4}{10}$ .

There can be decimals with many places to the right of the decimal point (as well as to the left). For example, the following is the decimal version of the mixed number $51\frac{48053}{1000000}$ :

51.048053

Converting percents, decimals, and fractions

It's good to know how to convert percentages to decimals, decimals to percentages, and even fractions to percentages. Here's how to do it:

To convert a percentage to a decimal, remove the percent sign then divide by 100 (or move the decimal point two places to the left):

$31\%=\frac{31}{100}=0.31$ or $27\%=0.27$

To convert a decimal to a percentage, multiply by 100 and add a percent sign (or move the decimal point two places to the right):

$0.031\times 100=3.1\%$ or $0.16=16\%$

To convert a fraction into a percentage, divide to find the decimal equivalent and then change the decimal to a percentage:

$\frac{16}{40}=0.4=40\%$

Practice questions on percents and decimals

a. What is 78% converted into a decimal?

$0.78$

b. What is 29.234 as a fraction?

$\frac{29234}{1000}$

c. What is $\frac{12}{25}$ converted into a percentage?

$48\%$

d. What is $0.91$ converted into a percentage?

$91\%$

e. What is $8\frac{69}{100}$ as a decimal?

$8.69$

Topics related to the Percents and Decimals

Percents and Fractions

Percent

Multiplying and Dividing with Negatives

Flashcards covering the Percents and Decimals

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Common Core: 6th Grade Math Flashcards

Practice tests covering the Percents and Decimals

MAP 6th Grade Math Practice Tests

6th Grade Math Practice Tests

Get assistance learning about percents and decimals

Whether your student is paying $0.75 for candy or wants to know the percentage of U. S. high school students that attend college, they need to understand decimals and percentages. To help your student feel confident in their ability to define and convert decimals and percentages, it's good to enlist the help of a tutor. A tutor can help your student understand assignments, prepare for tests, and strengthen their overall math knowledge. Find out how tutoring can make a significant difference for your student by contacting the Educational Directors at Varsity Tutors today.