Convert 3/5 to Percentage

Question

Convert the fraction $\dfrac{3}{5}$ into a percentage.

Solution — Step by Step

Why This Works

A fraction tells us a part-to-whole relationship. $\dfrac{3}{5}$ means 3 parts out of every 5. Percentage just rescales that to “out of 100” — a standard reference everyone uses.

When we multiply $\dfrac{3}{5}$ by 100, we’re asking: if the whole were 100 instead of 5, how many parts would we have? Since $5 \times 20 = 100$, we scale the numerator by the same factor: $3 \times 20 = 60$.

That’s why the shortcut “multiply by 100 and write %” always works — it’s the same as finding an equivalent fraction over 100.

Alternative Method

Instead of multiplying directly, convert the fraction to a decimal first, then shift the decimal point.

Now multiply by 100 (shift decimal two places right):

Same answer. This method is useful when the denominator doesn’t divide 100 cleanly — for example, $\dfrac{1}{3}$ doesn’t give a neat fraction over 100, but $0.333... \times 100 = 33.33\%$ works fine.

Common Mistake