What is percentage?

In mathematics, a percentage is a number or ratio that represents a fraction of 100. It is often denoted by the symbol % or simply as percent or pct. For example, 10% (read as 'Ten percent') is equal to 10/100 or 0.1.

The term per cent is derived from the Latin per centum, meaning "by the hundred". The sign for "per cent" evolved by gradual contraction of the Italian term per cento, meaning "for a hundred"

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Understanding percentage formula with Example?

• The formula for percentage is percentage = 100 * part / whole and it answers the question what percentage of 20 is 8.
• The formula for a part is: part = whole * percentage / 100 and it gives an answer to what is 40% of 20?.

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Example of percentage calculation.

• Q1) 15 people out of a total of 45 were womens. What percentage were womens?
  

  Ans:
  Here the answer is 33.33%, which means if we calculate percentage then 33.33% were women out of 45.

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• Q2) How can I calculate a percentage change ?

  Ans: To calculate a percentage change, we can use this formula (((x- y))/ y) * 100 .
  So, let's break this down with an example: Suppose David owns stock in Toyota Motors. His stock price went from $45 per share, to $47 per share. By what percentage has David's stock increased ?

  1. We can set y = 45, and x = 47 (y is your first value, x is the value it changed to)
  2. Now subtract x - y, which in our case is 47 - 45 which is 2
  3. Now divide 2 by 45 which is .044
  4. Multiply .04 * 100 which gives you 4.4
  5. So David's stock has increased by 4.44 percent.