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Percent for Dummies

noun

pronunciation: pər'sɛnt

What does Percent really mean?

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Okay, let's talk about the word "percent." So, have you ever wondered how we compare numbers or express part of a whole? Well, that's where percent comes into play! Percent is a way of representing a number as a fraction out of 100. Whoa, wait a minute! What's a fraction? And what does it mean to represent a number? No worries, I'll explain it all!



Imagine you have a box full of candies. You want to share them with your friends, but you also want to keep track of how many you're giving away. So, let's say there are 100 candies in the box. If you give 20 candies to your best friend, you can express that as a fraction by putting the number of candies given, 20, over the total number of candies in the box, 100. In this case, it would be 20/100. Are you with me so far?



Now, here's where percent comes in. To make it easier for everyone, we use percent to express that fraction in a different way. Instead of writing it as 20/100, we say it as 20 percent, which is represented by the symbol "%". It's kind of like converting the fraction into a special language that everybody understands. So, when you give away 20 candies, it means you've given away 20 percent of the total number of candies in the box.



But wait, there's more! Percent doesn't just help us share candies. It's also useful in many different areas of our lives. We use percent to talk about discounts, like when you see a sign saying "30% off." That means the price of an item has been reduced by 30% or 30 out of every 100 dollars.



Percentages are also used when talking about grades in school. If you score 80% on a test, it means you got 80 out of every 100 questions right. And if you hear that the chance of rain tomorrow is 60%, it means there's a 60 out of 100 chance of rain.



So, to sum it all up, percent is a way of expressing a number as a fraction out of 100. It helps us compare numbers, share things, talk about discounts, and even understand probabilities. And remember, when you see that little "%" symbol, it means we're talking about percent. Pretty cool, right? Now, do you think you've got a good grasp of what "percent" means?


Revised and Fact checked by Emma Williams on 2023-10-29 19:44:17

Percent In a sentece

Learn how to use Percent inside a sentece

  • If you have a bag with 100 marbles and 20% of them are blue, that means there are 20 blue marbles.
  • If you scored 80% on a test with 100 questions, it means you answered 80 questions correctly.
  • If a store has a sale with 30% off on a toy that costs $100, you only have to pay $70.
  • If a pizza is cut into 8 equal slices and you eat 25% of it, that means you ate 2 slices.
  • If there are 50 students in a class and 60% of them brought their textbooks, it means 30 students brought their textbooks.

Percent Synonyms

Words that can be interchanged for the original word in the same context.

Percent Hypernyms

Words that are more generic than the original word.

Percent Hyponyms

Words that are more specific than the original word.