Percentages

It was a hot day in Eureka Shores and all that Zoey and Maya were craving was some fresh lemonade. Lucky for them, today was the day of the town marketplace, where vendors showcased a collection of delectable treats. The pair weaved through the aisles of booths until a colorful sign caught their attention, declaring a special offer: "50% off on Sparkling Lemonade!"

Maya looked up at the sign in wonder, "Hey, what if we get that sparkling lemonade deal? Fifty percent off sounds like a fantastic fraction!"

Zoey nodded, "Yep, 50% means half the original price. When talking about percentages, you can relate it to fractions! Each percentage is like a fraction out of 100. So 50% would be 50/100.”

“Oh!” Maya exclaimed, “So if we simplify that by dividing the numerator and denominator by fifty, we would get ½. That means the lemonade is half its original price!”

The deal was more than enough to entice the two to buy the sparkling lemonade, and they happily sipped as they walked through the market. Understanding the percentages turned their ordinary walk into something more exciting!

“So, 40% of something would be 40/100, right? Which means 4/10, which means ⅖?”

Maya nodded, “You’re right Zoey! 65% of something would be 65/100. We can make that 13/20, but we can’t simplify that into a better fraction.”

Zoey tilted her head, “What do you mean by simplifying?”

Maya giggled, “Well, you’ve been doing it all this time! You made 50/100 into ½ by dividing the numerator and denominator by the same number. That’s basically what simplifying is. It’s about making a fraction simpler and smaller!”

Percentages, they realized, represent parts of a whole, like a slice of a pizza or a segment of time. They were just like fractions but in a different form!