Convert the ratio 56: 80 to a percentage
The correct answer and explanation is:
To convert the ratio 56:80 to a percentage, you can think of it as a fraction and then convert that fraction to a percentage.
Step 1: Write the ratio as a fraction
5680\frac{56}{80}
Step 2: Simplify the fraction (optional but helpful)
Both 56 and 80 are divisible by 8: 56÷880÷8=710\frac{56 \div 8}{80 \div 8} = \frac{7}{10}
Step 3: Convert the fraction to a decimal
Divide the numerator by the denominator: 710=0.7\frac{7}{10} = 0.7
Step 4: Convert the decimal to a percentage
Multiply by 100: 0.7×100=70%0.7 \times 100 = 70\%
Final answer:
56:80 as a percentage is 70%.
Explanation:
A ratio expresses the relative size of two quantities. When you convert a ratio to a percentage, you are essentially finding out what portion one part is of the other, expressed in terms of 100.
In this case, the ratio 56:80 can be interpreted as “56 out of 80.” To find what percentage 56 is of 80, you divide 56 by 80, giving a decimal number that shows the portion. Here, 56 divided by 80 is 0.7, meaning 56 is 70% of 80.
Multiplying by 100 converts the decimal to a percentage because “percent” means “per hundred.” Thus, 0.7 becomes 70%, telling you that 56 is 70% of 80.
This process is useful in many real-world applications, like calculating discounts, comparing quantities, or expressing proportions in easier-to-understand terms. Percentages are often more intuitive than raw ratios or fractions because they standardize the comparison on a scale from 0 to 100.
Understanding how to convert ratios to percentages helps in fields like finance, statistics, and everyday decision-making, where interpreting data quickly and accurately is essential.