Definition
Percent
A percent tells how many parts there are for every 100 parts.
What it means
Percent gives every comparison the same-size base: 100. That makes different amounts easier to compare. Read 37% as “37 out of every 100.” You can rewrite a percent as a fraction with denominator 100 or as a decimal.
Remember it
The % sign is a small tag that says “for every 100.”
Example
Twenty-one of 60 game tokens are blue. 21/60 = 35/100, so 35% of the tokens are blue.
Watch for
A percent is not limited to 0% through 100%; for example, a quantity can grow to 120% of its original size.
Common mix-up
Percent names the per-100 rate. “Percentage” may mean that rate or the amount found from it, depending on context.
Exact meaning
A percent is a ratio or rate expressed per hundred. The notation x% means x per 100, so x% = x/100.