Originally Posted by Val
Originally Posted by Nyaanyaa
Oh... but you could take �12% * 20�, or �12/100 * 20�. I think it's important to teach understanding that �percent� means �per hundred� or �division by hundred� instead of just teaching to rewrite. Rewriting can be useful, but it isn't necessary.

It's also useful to know that you can shorten �/100� to �%� in any longer equations. smile

I agree with blackcat; you can't multiply "12% * 20" directly because the two terms have different units. The % sign indicates that the 12 is on a scale that the 20 isn't on.

You need to include a conversion factor first, which you're doing with the fraction, but maybe not realizing that this is what you're doing. (?) The conversion to 12/100 puts the percent on the same scale as the 20.

Thank you for clarifying this, because I feel like I must have fallen into a different dimension!