How do I find what percentage one number is of another?
download.fan · Updated
Short answer
Divide the part by the whole, then multiply by 100. To find what percentage 45 is of 60: 45 ÷ 60 = 0.75, and 0.75 × 100 = 75%. The whole is the total or starting amount, usually the number after "of". If you get a test score of 34 out of 40, the answer is 34 ÷ 40 × 100 = 85%.
Step by step
Step 1: Identify the part and the whole
The whole comes after "of" or is the total. In "18 of 72", 72 is the whole.
Step 2: Divide
Part ÷ whole: 18 ÷ 72 = 0.25.
Step 3: Multiply by 100
0.25 × 100 = 25%.
What are the three percentage questions?
Percentage problems have three numbers, and you solve for the one that's missing. This percentage calculator works as a find percentage calculator, with a form for each one.
- What percent is 45 of 60? 45 ÷ 60 × 100 = 75%
- What is 20% of 60? 0.20 × 60 = 12
- 12 is 20% of what? 12 ÷ 0.20 = 60
What mistake do people make most often?
Dividing the wrong way round. 45 ÷ 60 is 75%, but 60 ÷ 45 is about 133%. If the part is smaller than the whole, your answer should be below 100%, so a result above that is a good sign you've swapped them.
How do I find a percentage change instead?
Use the starting value as the whole. Going from 150 to 200 is a change of 50, and 50 ÷ 150 is a 33.33% increase. Going back from 200 to 150 is a 25% decrease, since the starting value is now 200.
How do I do this in Excel or Google Sheets?
With the part in A2 and the whole in B2, enter =A2/B2 and format the cell as a percentage. Don't multiply by 100 as well, because the percentage format already does that.