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How to Write Each Percentage as a Ratio in the Simplest Form

A percentage is a number often followed by a percent sign (%). It represents a certain amount of something as taken out of 100 percent. For example, if five out of 25 people have blond hair, 20 percent have blond hair. This was found by dividing five by 25. A ratio is a set of numbers that explains the relation between two numbers, such as 5 to 25. Writing a percentage as a ratio in its simplest form involves including the percentage amount as related to 100.

Instructions

- 1
  Write out your percentages. Include each percentage that you want to write as a ratio in the simplest form.
- 2
  Take the number that represents the percentage. For example, 76 percent would be written as 76, and 23 percent would be written as 23.
- 3
  Relate the numbers you took from the percentages to 100. A ratio for percentages in would look like 76 to 100 or 23 to 100.
- 4
  Reduce the ratio to its simplest form. For example, a ratio of 5 to 50 can be simplified. Just find the greatest common factor for each number, which in the case of 5 to 50 is 5. Divide that number into each number in the ratio. You're left with a 1-to-10 ratio, which can also be expressed as 1:10.

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