Basic Mathematics for College Students

6.1 Percents, Decimals, and Fractions 507

WHYA fraction-to-decimal-to-percent approach must be used to write a fraction
as a percent.

Solution
Step 1The phrase three out of every fivecan be expressed as. To write this
fraction as a decimal, we divide the numerator, 3, by the denominator, 5.

The result is a terminating decimal.

Step 2To write 0.6 as a percent, we proceed as follows.

Write a placeholder 0 to the right of the 6 (shown in blue). Multiply

0.60 by 100 by moving the decimal point 2 places to the right, and

then insert a % symbol.

60% of American households watched the special episode of MAS*H.

60%

0.60 6 0 .%

3

5

0.6

Write a decimal point and one additional zero to the right of 3.

 The remainder is 0.

0.6

(^5)  3 .0
 3 0
0
35
EXAMPLE 11
Write as a percent.
StrategyWe will write the fraction as a decimal. Then we will write that
decimal as a percent.
WHYA fraction-to-decimal-to-percent approach must be used to write a fraction
as a percent.
Solution
Step 1To write as a decimal, we divide the numerator, 13, by the denominator, 4.
The result is a terminating decimal.
Step 2To write 3.25 as a percent, we proceed as follows.
Multiply 3.25 by 100 by moving the decimal point 2 places
to the right, and then insert a % symbol.
The fraction , written as a percent, is 325%. 134

325%

3.253 25 %

Write a decimal point and two additional zeros to the right of 3.

 The remainder is 0.

3.25

(^4) 13. 00
 12
1 0
 8
20
 20
0
134
134

13

4

Self Check 11

Write as a percent.

Now TryProblem 85

52









In Examples 10 and 11, the result of the division was a terminating decimal.
Sometimes when we write a fraction as a decimal, the result of the division is a
repeating decimal.

Success Tip When fractions that are greater than 1 are written as percents,

the percents are greater than 100%.