5 Answers

My easiest explanation is considering the score on a test.  Say the test had 100 questions.  If you got all of them right, you would have 100/100......or, in reality, 1.  Anything less than all of them right is less than 1.  A percentage is less than 1, also.  

To find the percentage, divide the number right by the number possible.  The only time you will have an answer of 1 (or more) is if you got all of them (plus extra credit) correct.  

For example, 15 questions and you answered 7 correctly.  7/15 (7 divided by 15) is                  0 .4666666 rounded to  0.47   (Notice this number is 47 one-hundredths)   47%  
Another example:   75 questions and you answered 57 right.  57/75 = (oh look, you an reduce this fraction to 19/25).   19/25 or 57/75 is  0.76 or 76%

 

This is my way of working it out, eg to find say 10% of 200 .  take the o's off multyiply 2 x 1 = 2 put the o back is 20  so 10 % of 200 = 20   try it with 30% of 150 take off the o's 3 x 15 = 45 so 30% of 150 = 45.00

.4 X = 120.  Divide each side by .4: .4/.4 x = 120/.4   x = 120/.4 (multiply numerator  and denominator by 10)   x = 1200/4   x = 300, the correct answer. 

120 is 40% of what number? 

if 40% of a number is 120, what is th original number