Fractions, percentages, decimals
You learn to write a ratio as a fraction, as a decimal and as a percentage.
How to work it out
- 1 in 4 is the fraction 14.
- Divide 1 ÷ 4 = 0.25 for decimal.
- Multiply by 100 for percentage: 25%.
14
A worked example
1 out of 2, as a fraction
- Of every 2 there is 1.
- Put 1 above the line and 2 below.
- It is 12.
12
More examples
3 out of 4, as a decimal
- Write it as a fraction: 34.
- Divide the top by the bottom: 3 ÷ 4 = 0.75.
- It is 0.75.
34
1 out of 5, as a percentage
- Write it as a fraction: 15.
- Divide the top by the bottom: 1 ÷ 5 = 0.2.
- Multiply by 100: 0.2 × 100 = 20.
- It is 20%.
15
Try it yourself
Write this as a decimal
1 in every 5
Write this as a decimal
1 in every 4
Watch out
You write 1 out of 4 as 1.4 or as 14%.
It is 1 of the 4, not a two-digit number. Make it a fraction first: 14.
You forget to multiply by 100 for the percentage: 1 out of 4 becomes 0.25%.
0.25 is a decimal. For a percentage, multiply it by 100: 25%.
Tips
- A quarter, 25% and 0.25 are three names for the same thing.
Why it works
‘1 out of 4’ means: of every 4 there is 1. As a fraction that is 14, as a decimal 0.25 and as a percentage 25%. It is always the same piece of the strip, only written differently.