How to Change Percents to Decimals

While it may often be more meaningful to state certain statistics in terms of percentages, it is necessary to change these percents to decimals if you want to perform mathematical calculations with them. Thankfully, the ability to quickly convert percentages to decimal figures is a skill that is simple to master.

Instructions

1. Write down the percentage without the percent sign. As an example, take 27.3% and write 27.3.

2. Move the decimal point two places to the left. In this example, 27.3 would become .273.

3. Rewrite the decimal if necessary. Since .273 is less than 1, you should write this as 0.273.

Tips & Warnings

• For decimal numbers between -1 and 1, it is customary to use a 0 in front of the decimal point as a placeholder. That is, the number .273 should be written as 0.273 and -.47 should be written as -0.47.