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pochihyeh
Joined: 12 Apr 2011
Posts: 2
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 Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2011 1:44 am Post subject: proportion V.S percentage |
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Dear teacher,
I am confused with some problems, what are the differences between "proportion" and "percentage" ?
Would you be so kind to tell me?
Thanks a lot!!!
Best wishes,
Bob Yeh |
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redset
Joined: 18 Mar 2006
Posts: 582
Location: England
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| Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2011 5:40 am Post subject: |
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A percentage is a number between 0 and 100 that tells you how big something is, or how much of it there is compared to something else. 100% means the full amount, so if you're happy 100% of the time that means you're always happy. If a drink is 50% orange juice then that means half of the drink (50 is half of 100) is orange. Even if the drink is a huge bottle, half of the whole thing will be orange juice. Percentages are used in mathematics and finance - for example you'll see interest rates of 5% and so on.
Proportion is similar but a bit more general - it's not usually a specific number, but a way to describe the relationship between things. The proportions of the drink I mentioned might be half orange juice, a quarter blackcurrant and a quarter milk (don't actually try making this drink!). If you drew a cat with paws bigger than its head and a tail a mile long, I'd say the proportions were wrong - the sizes wouldn't be right when you compared them to each other. If you broke someone's pencil and you had to pay them a million dollars, that would be a disproportionate punishment - the punishment would be too big compared to what you did! |
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pochihyeh
Joined: 12 Apr 2011
Posts: 2
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| Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2011 8:03 pm Post subject: |
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Dear teacher,
Your reply really helps me a lot!!
Thank you very much!!
Best regards,
Bob Yeh |
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