How to see it
A fraction is a division. One quarter is one divided by four. Per cent means out of a hundred, so 45 per cent is 45 over 100. Learn the family: a half is 0.5 and 50 per cent. A quarter is 0.25 and 25 per cent. Three quarters, 0.75, 75 per cent. A fifth is 0.2, 20 per cent. A tenth is 0.1, 10 per cent. An eighth is 0.125.
A worked example
Three eighths as a decimal. One eighth is 0.125. Three of them: 0.375. As a percentage, multiply by 100: 37.5 per cent.
The common mistake: reading 1/4 as 0.14
The trap is reading the fraction as digits: a quarter as 0.14. The 1 and the 4 are not a decimal. Divide.
Try one
Seven twentieths as a decimal.
- A0.72
- B0.35
- C0.7
- D0.27
Show the answerHide the answer
Right: B, 0.35
35. Multiply top and bottom by 5 to make it 35 over 100.