How do you convert ratios to percents?

Answer 1

to convert ratio to percent just multiply the ratio by 100 (sometimes, see below)

e.g. suppose a ratio a:b=4:5, so percent of a will be;

4/5×100=80

or a=80%

• The above works if the ratio is comparing something to the total, like if the 4:5 ratio represented "4 out of 5 dentists prefer ___", then 80% of the dentists were favorable to the product.

• But what if you have 4 apples and 5 Oranges and the total fruit is 9, then you do not have 80% apples, you have 4/9 = 44.4 % (a big difference).

• So it is important to know the context of the ratio, before you can just apply one rule and plug and chug, as one professor used to tell me.

One real life example from my work. Everybody wants to see real-life examples. We get 2 different chemical which is used to process printing plates. The chemicals are shipped concentrated, and we dilute with water here before use. One of the chemicals states to dilute at a 1:1 ratio, which means 1 gallon of concentrate to 1 gallon of water (it even clarifies it by stating that this bottle will make 2 gallons of mixed solution). The other chemical states to dilute 3:1 water to concentrate, and states this gallon of water will make 4 gallons.