Difference Between Percentage vs Percentile
We frequently hear about percentages and percentiles, but do you know what each really means? Though these terms sound similar, they serve different purposes (like Percentage vs Percentile) and can be pretty distinct from each other. Let’s break down the differences and see how each one is used in everyday life.
What is Percentage?
A percentage is a way that is used to express a number as a fraction of 100. Think of it as a slice of a pie. If you have a pizza and you eat 25% of it, you’ve eaten one-quarter of the whole pizza. Percentages are everywhere – from discount offers at your favorite store to the grades you get on your exams. To calculate a rate, you divide a part by the whole and multiply by 100. For instance, if you answered 30 out of 50 questions correctly on a test, that’s (30 ÷ 50) × 100 = 60%.
Our Tools
List of Tools
Percentage Formula with Example
To calculate a percentage, use the following formula:
Percentage=( Part / whole) * 100
- Let’s say you scored 18 out of 25 on a test. To find your percentage score:
- Identify the part (your score) and the whole (total possible score):
- Part = 18
- Whole = 25
- Apply the formula:
- Percentage=( 18 /25 ) * 100
- Percentage=( 0.72) * 100 = 72 %
- So, your score is 72%.
Percentage to Fraction Table
Creating a percentage to fraction table can help people quickly convert common percentages to their equivalent fractions. Here’s a simple table to get you started:
| Percentage | Fraction |
|---|---|
| 1% | 1/100 |
| 5% | 1/20 |
| 10% | 1/10 |
| 12.5% | 1/8 |
| 20% | 1/5 |
| 25% | 1/4 |
| 33.33% | 1/3 |
| 50% | 1/2 |
| 66.67% | 2/3 |
| 75% | 3/4 |
| 80% | 4/5 |
| 90% | 9/10 |
| 100% | 1 |
What is Percentile?
Percentiles are different. They are used to rank and compare data. Imagine you have taken a big test, and your score is in the 85th percentile. This means you scored better than 85% of everyone who took the test. It’s all about comparing your position relative to others rather than looking at a simple fraction of a whole. Percentiles help us understand where we stand compared to a group.
How to Calculate Percentile
To calculate a percentile, follow these steps:
- Order Your Data: Arrange Your data set from smallest to largest.
- Determine the Rank: Find the rank of the desired percentile using the formula:
- Rank=( P/100) *(N+1)
- where P is the percentile you want to find (e.g., 25th percentile), and N is the number of data points.
- Locate the Percentile: If the rank is an integer, the percentile value is the data point at that rank. If the rank is not an integer, round it to the nearest whole number and find the average of the values at the ranks closest to the calculated rank.
Let’s calculate the 40th percentile for the following data set:
- Data set: 2, 4, 7, 8, 10, 12, 15, 18
- Order the Data: Already in order: 2, 4, 7, 8, 10, 12, 15, 18
- Calculate the Rank: Number of data points (N) = 8. Desired percentile (P) = 40
- Rank = ( 40/100) * 8+1) = 0.40 * 9 = 3.6
- Locate the Percentile: The rank 3.6 is between the 3rd and 4th values. The 3rd value = 7 and The 4th value = 8. The Average of 7 and 8:
- 40th Percentile= 7+8 /2 = 7.5 So, the 40th percentile of this data set is 7.5.
Percentage vs Percentile
Here’s a table summarizing the differences between percentage and percentile:
| Aspect | Percentage | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Represents a part of a whole expressed as a fraction of 100. | Indicates the relative standing of a value in a dataset. |
| Representation | Denoted by the symbol “%”. | Expressed as a rank or position, e.g., 25th percentile. |
| Calculation | Calculated by dividing the part by the whole and multiplying by 100. | Determined by sorting the dataset and finding the position relative to others. |
| Example | Scoring 75% on a test means answering 75% of questions correctly. | Being in the 90th percentile means scoring better than 90% of the other students. |
| Focus | Shows the proportion of a specific value in relation to the total. | Shows the rank or position of a value within a distribution. |
| Usage | Commonly used for grades, discounts, and financial calculations. | Commonly used for standardized test scores, rankings, and statistical analysis. |
| Data Requirement | Does not require a distribution, just a part and a whole. | Requires a dataset and involves ranking or ordering values. |
| Interpretation | Indicates how much of the whole has been achieved. | Indicates how a particular value compares to others in the dataset. |
Usage in Academics
In academics, percentages and percentiles are used to judge student performance. Percentages show how much of a total score a student has achieved, such as when calculating grades or attendance.
For example, if a student scores 94% on a test. It means they answered 94% of the questions correctly. Percentiles rank a student’s performance relatively to their equivalents. For example if a student is in the 94th percentile. It means they scored better than 94% of other students.
Both are valuable tools for assessing and interpreting academic achievements.
Importance of percentages and percentiles in career with Real life example
Percentages are commonly used in our daily lives to comparisons in different things. For example, when we go shopping and get a 25% discount on a $100 purchase means we save $25. This percentage helps you to quickly understand how much you are keeping from the original price. For better understanding, we take another example of a school test, if a student scores 85% on a test. It means they can answer the 85 questions out of 100 questions. With the help of percentages, you quickly calculate the result of the student.
Percentiles show how a value compares to others within a dataset. For example, if you score in the 85th percentile on a college entrance exam. This means that you performed better than 85% of the other students who appeared on the test. This percentile ranking provides a clear picture of your standing compared. Let’s discuss a different example for better understanding health assessments, which is if your Body Mass Index (BMI) is in the 75th percentile. This means that your BMI is higher than 75% of people of the same age and height group. It gives you an idea of where you stand relative to others.
The result of all the above discussion is both a high percentage and a high percentile are necessary. They complement each other, collectively enhancing your academic and professional reputation.
Summary
Understanding the difference between percentage and percentile is necessary for accurate data understanding and decision-making. A percentage is useful for straightforward comparisons such as evaluating exam scores or financial metrics. A Percentile shows your relative standing within a group. It can help us to compare perform to others, which is valuable for competitive exams and job placements.
