How to Determine What Percentage a Number Is of Another

Percentages can help you determine how much of something you have finished or how much you have out of the whole. It is a different way of expressing a fraction and, for some, is an easier representation to understand. Determining what percentage one number is of another is not difficult as long as you know the formula to do so. Once you know that, you can calculate any two numbers into a percentage.

Instructions

1. Figure out which number you want to make the percentage of the other. Make a fraction, placing this number as the numerator and the other as the denominator. This does not mean the smallest number should go on the top and the largest on the bottom, although this is often the case. For example, if you have a class of 30 students and 12 of them drank milk with their lunch, to figure out the percentage of milk drinkers in the class, make 12 your numerator and 30 your denominator.

2. Divide the denominator into the numerator. You may use long division or a calculator. If the top number is smaller than the bottom, expect a decimal. In our example, 12 divided by 30 is 0.4.

3. Move the decimal two places to the right and place a percent sign at that point to find the percent. This can also be done by multiplying the divided fraction by 100. In our example, this turns 0.4 into 40%. That means 40 percent of students in the class drank milk with their lunch.

References

• Math.com: Percent