OTWONO LABS / NOTEBOOK
Understand a percentage
Learn one step at a time, with examples, practice and a place for your questions.
Start this lessonOriginal introductory guide from OTWONO Labs. The diagram is illustrative, not a reported research result.
Read the picture
The grid contains 100 squares. Twenty five are mint colored. The mint part is 25 out of 100, so it represents 25 percent. The remaining 75 squares represent 75 percent.
Use the same rule with another total
A percentage expresses a fraction on a scale of 100. Divide the part by the whole, then multiply by 100. For 6 completed tasks out of 24, calculate 6 divided by 24 times 100, which equals 25 percent.
Check what belongs in the whole
If you count completed tasks, the denominator should include the tasks eligible for that comparison. Changing which tasks count can change the percentage even if the number completed stays the same.
Try it
You have reviewed 15 of 60 cards. What percentage have you reviewed? What percentage remains? Draw four equal groups to explain your answer.
Check your answer
15 divided by 60 is one quarter, or 25 percent. The remaining 45 cards are 75 percent. This tells you how many cards you reviewed, not how well you understand them.