How to Convert a Percent to a Decimal
There are three different methods for converting percentages into decimals.
To illustrate the three methods, suppose you were asked to convert 5 percent to a decimal.
Method #1: Since "percent" means "per 100" or "over 100", we can rewrite the percentage in terms of per 100, and then divide the numerator by the denominator to get the decimal equivalent.
| 5% | = | 5 | = | 0.05 |
| 100 |
So we can see that the percentage 5% converts to the decimal number 0.05.
Method #2: Since the essence of method #1 is to divide the percentage by 100, we can simply divide the percentage by 100 and remove the percent sign from the result.
| 5 ÷ 100 = 0.05 |
Method #3: Since dividing any number by 100 moves the number's decimal point two places to the left, we can just move the percentage's decimal point two places to the left and remove the percent sign.
| 5 | % | |||
| < | < | |||
| 0 | . | 0 | 5 |
Or, as a second example, suppose you were asked to change 34.55 percent to a decimal.
Method #1: Since "percent" means "per 100" or "over 100", we can rewrite the percentage in terms of per 100, and then divide the numerator by the denominator to get the decimal equivalent.
| 34.55% | = | 34.55 | = | 0.3455 |
| 100 |
So we can see that the percentage 34.55% converts to the decimal number 0.3455.
Method #2: Since the essence of method #1 is to divide the percentage by 100, we can simply divide the percentage by 100 and remove the percent sign from the result.
| 34.55 ÷ 100 = 0.3455 |
Method #3: Since dividing any number by 100 moves the number's decimal point two places to the left, we can just move the percentage's decimal point two places to the left and remove the percent sign.
| 3 | 4 | . | 5 | 5 | % | |
| < | < | |||||
| 0 | . | 3 | 4 | 5 | 5 |
Percent to Decimal Conversion Table
Based on your selections you can create your own custom percent to decimal conversion chart.
