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Example 2 Equivalent fractions, decimals and percentages

Find the equivalent fraction and percentage of 1 4

THINKING WORKING STEP 1

To find the decimal equivalent consider 1 4 of 100 100 × 1 4 = 25

1 4 = 25 100 = twenty five hundredths twenty five hundreds = 0.25

STEP 2

To find the equivalent percentage consider 1 4 of 100 100 × 1 4 = 25%

These are called equivalent fractions, decimals and percentages.

Let’s look at one of the examples at the start of this section to illustrate how this works.

In the chart about the poll results about people’s voting intentions in an election, you can compare the results easily.

It shows that there are 45.5% who prefer the Mad Hatters Party compared to 54.5% for the Jedi Knight Party.

We can use our knowledge of percentages and their equivalent fractions to make comparative statements such as:

•‘Less than half or 50% of the people intend to vote for the Mad Hatters’ or