When you want to show a fraction as a percentage the most important thing to remember is that 100% is a whole amount, and in decimal terms it can be shown as the number 1. When you divide one into halves you split the whole amount (1) into two parts. So when you show 100% as halves you just split 100 into two equal parts and multiply this number by the number of halves in your fraction.
- The bottom number (the denominator) in all halves fractions is 2.
- Imagine you have a doughnut and you cut it into two pieces – each piece is one half of the doughnut.
- One doughnut is 100% of the doughnut – so let’s cut the percentage value for a whole (100) into two pieces as well!
- 100 ÷ 2 = 50
- Every top number in the fraction (the numerator) represents one half of 100%.
- Multiply the numerator by the percentage value of each piece to show the fraction as a percent.
With the above in mind, here are each of the half fractions shown as a percentage and the workings behind the answer.
1/2 as a percent
- Divide 100 by the denominator: 100 ÷ 2 = 50
- Multiply this number by the nominator: 50 × 1 = 50
So what is 1/2 as a percentage? The answer is 50%.
2/2 as a percent
- Divide 100 by the denominator: 100 ÷ 2 = 50
- Multiply this number by the nominator: 50 × 2 = 100
So what is 2/2 as a percentage? The answer is 100%.
Remember this point about two halves – if the numerator can be divided by the denominator where the result is a whole number, you can reduce the fraction.
2 ÷ 2 = 1
So the fraction could also be expressed as 1/1 – 1 part of one is one so it is everything, the whole amount – 100%!