Percentage

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Percentage

Percentage (/pərˈsɛntɪdʒ/; from Latin per centum meaning "by a hundred") is a number or ratio expressed as a fraction of 100. It is often denoted using the percent sign, "%", or the abbreviations "pct.", "pct"; sometimes the abbreviation "pc" is also used. A percentage is a dimensionless number (pure number).

Etymology

The word percentage is derived from the Latin word per centum, which means "by the hundred". The sign for "percent" evolved by gradual contraction of the Italian term per cento, meaning "for a hundred". The "per" was often abbreviated as "p." and eventually disappeared entirely. The "cento" was contracted to two circles separated by a horizontal line, from which the modern "%" symbol is derived.

Usage

Percentages are used to express how large or small one quantity is relative to another quantity. The first quantity usually represents a part of, or a change in, the second quantity, which should be greater than zero. For example, an increase of $0.15 on a price of $2.50 is an increase by a fraction of 0.15/2.50 = 0.06. Expressed as a percentage, this is therefore a 6% increase.

Related Terms

  • Ratio: A ratio is a relationship between two numbers indicating how many times the first number contains the second.
  • Fraction: A fraction represents a part of a whole or, more generally, any number of equal parts.
  • Decimal: A decimal is a way of expressing a number in such a way that the number is a whole number plus a fraction of a whole number to one or more decimal places.
  • Proportion: Proportion is the numerical relation between two amounts showing the number of times one value contains or is contained within the other.

See Also

External links

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