What is the method for finding out what percent one fraction is of another fraction. For instance 4/5 is what percent of 1/9?

I am in the 4th grade.

Hi,

Start by trying the same question with whole numbers rather than fractions. For example 20 is what percent of 50? I would do this in two steps

First 20 is what fraction of 50? and then 20 is what percent of 50?

The first step is

20 = 50

where is a fraction.

You can make the equation above true by taking the fraction to be 20/50 = 2/5. Thus

20 is what 2/5 of 50?

The second step is to change 2/5 to a percent. But a percent is just a fraction with 100 in the denominator so the second step is to complete the equation

5 times 20 is 100 thus multiply 2 times 20 to get 40. Hence

Thus

20 is what 40% of 50?

Now try fractions.

1/4 is what percent of 5/6?

Step 1.

  

This time is 3/10.

Step 2.

Thus

1/4 is 30% of 5/6

Your problem was

4/5 is what percent of 1/9?

(4/5 is larger than 1/9 so the answer will be more than 100%.) Try it. I got

4/5 is 720% of 1/9 Cheers,
Penny
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