Have a test on decimals and percents coming up? No sweat. This tutorial will give you the tools you’ll need to convert between decimals and percents easily so that you can ace that test.
Changing a Decimal to a Percent
To convert a decimal to a percent, just move the decimal point two places to the right and put a percent sign afterwards. For example, to convert .02 to a percent, you would move the decimal point over two spaces to get 2%.
Note: If there are not enough digits to move the decimal two spaces, just add a 0 at the end and move the decimal past it. For example, to convert .3 to a percent, move the decimal two spaces over and add a 0 as a placeholder, which will leave you with 30%.
Also remember that every whole number has a “hidden” decimal at the end. For example, to convert 3 to a percent, you would move the “hidden” decimal to the left of the 3 two spaces to the right, which would leave you with 300%.
Converting a Percent to a Decimal
To convert a percent to a decimal, just do the opposite. Move the decimal point two places to the left and remove the percent sign. For example, to convert 31.2% to a decimal, you would move the decimal point two spaces to the left and remove the percent, which leaves you with .312.
Note: As before, remember that whole numbers have a “hidden” decimal at their ends. For example, to convert 31%, you would move the “hidden” decimal to the right of the 1 two spaces to the left, which would leave you with .31.
In addition, remember that there are also “hidden” 0s before every whole number. For example, 4% could be written as 00004% as well. Therefore, to convert 4% to a decimal, you would move the hidden decimal to the right of the 4 two places to the left, inserting a 0 to the left of the 4. Therefore, 4% as a decimal would be written as .04.
This post is part of the series: Fraction, Decimal, and Percent Conversions
Confused about how to do fraction, decimal, and percent conversions? It can get complicated, but if you learn each conversion separately, you’ll soon be converting like a pro!
