Basic Math & Pre-Algebra For Dummies
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Fractions, decimals, and percents are the three most common ways to give a mathematical description of parts of a whole object. Fractions are common in baking and carpentry when you're using English measurement units (such as cups, gallons, feet, and inches). Decimals are used with dollars and cents, the metric system, and in scientific notation. Percents are used in business when figuring profit and interest rates, as well as in statistics.

Use the following table as a handy guide when you need to make basic conversions among the three.

Fraction Decimal Percent
1/100 0.01 1%
1/20 0.05 5%
1/10 0.1 10%
1/5 0.2 20%
1/4 0.25 25%
3/10 0.3 30%
2/5 0.4 40%
1/2 0.5 50%
3/5 0.6 60%
7/10 0.7 70%
3/4 0.75 75%
4/5 0.8 80%
9/10 0.9 90%
1 1.0 100%
2 2.0 200%
10 10.0 1,000%

About This Article

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About the book author:

Mark Zegarelli is a professional writer with degrees in both English and Math from Rutgers University. He has earned his living for many years writing vast quantities of logic puzzles, a hefty chunk of software documentation, and the occasional book or film review. Along the way, he’s also paid a few bills doing housecleaning, decorative painting, and (for ten hours) retail sales. He likes writing best, though.

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