Problem 48 - Elementary Algebra

Question

For exercises \(47-58\), rewrite the percent as a decimal number. $$ 4 \% $$

Step-by-Step Solution

Answer

4% as a decimal is 0.04.

Step 1 - Understanding Percent

Percent means per hundred. So 4% means 4 per hundred.

Step 2 - Converting Percent to Decimal

To convert percent to a decimal, divide the percentage by 100. Therefore, to convert 4%, divide 4 by 100.

Step 3 - Performing the Division

Perform the division: 4 ÷ 100 = 0.04

Key Concepts

percent

A percent represents a part out of 100. You will often see it symbolized by the % sign. For example, when you see 4%, it means 4 out of every 100 units. This is very common in everyday life. You see it in discounts, statistics, and measurements. Understanding what a percent means is the first step to working with and converting them.

decimal conversion

To convert a percent to a decimal, you move the decimal point two places to the left. Another way to think about it is by dividing the percentage by 100.
For instance, let's take the example of 4%. When you divide 4 by 100, you get 0.04. Here is the breakdown:

• Step 1: Write down the percent: 4%.
• Step 2: Remove the percent sign.
• Step 3: Divide the number by 100: 4 ÷ 100 = 0.04.

This is how you can convert any percentage into a decimal easily.

division

Division is one of the key operations you'll use in converting percentages. When you divide, you are essentially splitting a number into a specified number of parts. For converting percents to decimals, you always divide by 100.
For example, when you divide 4 by 100, you get 0.04. You can write this step-by-step:

• Step 1: Start with the number: 4.
• Step 2: Divide by 100: 4 ÷ 100.
• Step 3: Perform the division: 4 ÷ 100 = 0.04.

This approach works every time, no matter what percentage you start with.